With 10 days until the Nov. 3 election, Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. is in a tight race in New Jersey's 7th Congressional District, one of the wealthiest in the country. He faces Democrat Rebecca Bennett, a political newcomer 1.
Kean, 58, has Donald Trump's endorsement and a district whose lines were redrawn in 2022 to favor his party. He had more than $2.4 million in his campaign account in February 1. Even so, the Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan race rater, moved the seat last month from "toss-up" to "lean Democrat" 1.
A long absence and a low profile
Kean was not seen in Congress or in public for more than three months and missed 100 votes without explanation 1. When he resurfaced at the end of June, he said he had been hospitalized for depression 1. Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, was sympathetic but told the New York Times that Kean could have explained sooner 1.
You know, if it were me, I would have done it a little sooner,
Since his return, Kean has been accused of avoiding reporters. His campaign denied a New York Times reporter entry to an August event, and he took no questions after a livestreamed debate with Bennett 1. Campaign manager Harrison Neely said the claim is false. He said Kean does more local press than any other sitting member of New Jersey's delegation 1.
Money and the message
The Congressional Leadership Fund, the main Republican super PAC (a group that can raise and spend unlimited sums) for House races, and a Trump-affiliated group have reportedly canceled their remaining spending in the district 1. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that both groups confirmed the pullback 2. Kean pointed to $6.2 million from the National Republican Congressional Committee, and Neely said the campaign is fully funded 1.
Bennett's spokesperson says the pullback affects at most 13% of Republican spending against her, and that Republicans still hold $19 million in ad reservations 2. Bennett says she has raised $4 million since July. Kean reported $4.89 million as of June 30 and declined to share newer totals 2.
Bennett, 39, is a former Navy helicopter pilot and online health care executive. She focuses on affordability, including health care, energy and child care 12. She says voters are "deeply frustrated" that Kean let Trump pursue his agenda. That includes Kean's vote for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the war with Iran and the halt in funding for the Gateway Hudson Tunnel Project between New Jersey and New York 1.
We're going to do everything we can for the next 16 days to flip the seat, but we are feeling good about where we are,
Not settled yet
The district has swung between the parties since 2018. It gave Trump a slim majority in 2024 and elected Democrat Mikie Sherrill as governor in 2025 1. A Rutgers-Eagleton poll on Oct. 1 put Trump's approval in New Jersey at 24% 2.
Republican strategist Bill Palatucci still calls the race a toss-up 2. Rutgers' Ashley Koning described a "perfect storm" against Kean 2.
That matters because Republicans hold the House by a narrow margin, and a district like this one is the kind Democrats must flip to take control. The pattern is a Republican incumbent whose party is spending less to defend him while the president's unpopularity weighs on the ballot. The outcome will be known after polls close on Nov. 3.
The Record
Sources
- The Guardian, “Tom Kean had everything going for him. Then the Republican New Jersey congressman disappeared” (2026-10-24). theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/24/tom-kean-new-jersey-rebe
- The Philadelphia Inquirer, “Rebecca Bennett campaign, 7th District, Tom Kean Jr.” (2026-10-15). inquirer.com/politics/new-jersey/rebecca-bennett-campaign-7t
- Bloomberg Government, “GOP Super PAC Cuts Funds to New Jersey's Kean Ahead of Midterms” (2026-10-13). news.bgov.com/bloomberg-government-news/gop-super-pac-cuts-f
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