Democrat Rebecca Bennett upends incumbent Tom Kean Jr in New Jersey's 7th District

Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News on Nov 3, 2026

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Incumbent Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. Tuesday lost his suburban New Jersey congressional seat to Democrat Rebecca Bennett as voters, many discouraged by President Trump’s second-term agenda, propelled Democrats into office nationwide.

Kean, a two-term lawmaker, who disappeared from public view for months in what turned out to be a bout with depression, trailed Bennett by a nearly 23% margin with 65% of vote counted.

Bennett, a former Navy helicopter pilot and healthcare executive, fits the profile of a moderate Democrat in the mold of Gov. Mikie Sherrill, who won the state by a landslide last year.

The NJ-07 district, spanning verdant New York suburbs and rural horse country, appear to have been one of the first dominoes to fall as Democrats hoped to win control of the Congress in a midterms election driven by Trump’s unpopularity.

Trump’s unpopularity has turbocharged a longstanding shift towards Democrats among well-educated and wealthy voters, making it far less comfortable turf than before for down-ballot Republicans like Kean.

That spelled big trouble for Kean, who won reelection by just 3% in 2024 when Trump ran a stronger than expected race in the Garden State.

The son of a popular former governor made things much worse with his his long absence from Congress, which many observers feel he handled poorly. Instead of announcing that he was undergoing medical treatment, Kean simply disappeared from view.

Kean eventually returned to Capitol Hill and gave a well-received speech that explained he had sought treatment for depression. But he never explained why he didn’t speak earlier.

Kean, who has a famously aloof personal style, has portrayed himself as a moderate Republican and a loyal but occasionally critical ally of Trump.

But swing voters were apparently eager to send a message of opposition to Trump over his unpopular policies like the war with Iran, trade war and immigration crackdown.

Kean enthusiastically backed the war in the race’s only face-to-face debate, perhaps missing a chance to put some daylight between himself and Trump. He waited months to express opposition to an immigration detention center in scenic Roxbury that angered residents.

Bennett, on the other hand, proved to be a formidable opponent for Kean.

A 10-year veteran, the mother of two highlighted her military service in ways that were very reminiscent of Sherrill and other successful moderate Democratic candidates nationwide.

Significantly, she rarely mentioned that she’s a Democrat, a strategy that was likely designed to win over one-time Republicans and independents in a district that was once considered a GOP stronghold.

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