Democrat Rebecca Bennett wins New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District race, AP projects
NEW JERSEY - Democrat Rebecca Bennett has won the election for the U.S. House of Representatives in New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District, defeating Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Tom Kean Jr., The Associated Press projects.
LIVE: Click here for real-time election results
Local perspective:
Bennett, a former Navy helicopter pilot and health care executive who won the June Democratic primary, secured her first term in the U.S. House and her first elected office with her win. She’ll now represent all of Warren and Hunterdon counties, along with portions of Sussex, Morris, Somerset and Union counties.
(Photo by Kena Betancur/Getty Images)
Dig deeper:
During the campaign, the candidates presented differing positions on the Trump administration’s policies, including its approach to Iran and presidential authority over tariffs, per the AP. During a September debate, Bennett criticized U.S. military action against Iran and called for tariff oversight, while Kean defended the administration’s approach, citing Iran’s nuclear ambitions and presidential tariff authority.
The backstory:
Bennett, 39, lives in Bridgewater, New Jersey, with her husband and two children, and was born in New York and raised in Texas, according to her official campaign website. During her military career, she earned a master’s degree in business administration from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, per her LinkedIn page.
According to her campaign website, Bennett served in the military for 15 years, and in addition to her role in the Navy, she served as an experimental test pilot and aircraft commander. She then went on to serve in the Air National Guard before settling in New Jersey with her husband, also a former Navy pilot, to raise their family.
As reported on her LinkedIn page, Bennett later worked in digital health, health care technology and pharmaceutical companies, bringing military and private-sector experience to her first campaign for elected office before defeating Kean, who had represented the seat since January 2023.
In her campaign platform, Bennett centered on affordability, access to health care, veterans’ services and government ethics, calling for measures to lower health care costs, increase the supply of affordable housing, reduce administrative barriers and restore the state and local tax deduction, known as SALT, for New Jersey taxpayers. She also advocated for investment in renewable energy, clean-energy manufacturing, biotechnology and health care industries in New Jersey, while addressing environmental protection, national security and support for military families.
The Source: This article includes information provided by the Associated Press.