{"id":1812,"date":"2026-06-03T05:35:15","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T05:35:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=1812"},"modified":"2026-06-03T05:35:15","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T05:35:15","slug":"rebecca-bennett-wins-democratic-primary-in-new-jersey-to-take-on-representative-tom-kean-jr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=1812","title":{"rendered":"Rebecca Bennett wins Democratic primary in New Jersey to take on Representative Tom Kean Jr."},"content":{"rendered":"
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BRIDGEWATER, N.J. (AP) \u2014 Rebecca Bennett, a former Navy helicopter pilot, won the Democratic primary in a battleground New Jersey congressional district to take on Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr., who has been absent with an unspecified illness for months.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass grabs edge in early returns, vows \u2018victory in November\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

Bennett\u2019s victory over three other Democrats on Tuesday sets up the state\u2019s premier contest in November, when the party hopes it can flip the onetime Republican stronghold that has proven competitive in recent years. The district includes bedroom communities and farm towns as well as President Donald Trump\u2019s Bedminster golf club.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kean\u2019s absence \u2014 his last vote was in early March \u2014 has supercharged interest in the seat, which Democrats view as key to winning control of the narrowly divided U.S. House. Voters in the 7th District have ousted two incumbents during midterm elections over the past decade.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Addressing supporters in Bridgewater, Bennett called Kean a \u201ccoward.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou are failing us, and you do not deserve to represent us in Washington,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n

In her speech, Bennett referred to \u201cTom Kean Jr., wherever you are,\u201d drawing applause from supporters. She criticized Kean over his vote for Trump\u2019s tax legislation and his failure to stand up to the president\u2019s threat to cut funding for a rail tunnel between New Jersey and New York.<\/span><\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s package of spending and tax cuts expanded the state and local tax deduction. New Jersey has among the highest property taxes in the nation.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Democrats like Bennett are focusing on rising costs caused by Iran war<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The Democrats are leaning into the rising costs of groceries and gasoline caused by the Iran war and Trump\u2019s sweeping tariffs.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bennett built her campaign around her experience as a Navy helicopter pilot as well as around affordability, noting that she drives a no-frills sedan and emphasizing her relatability as a working mom.<\/span><\/p>\n

Araz Shahinian, a 49-year-old systems developer, said he voted for Bennett, noting he\u2019s worried about the state of politics and rising prices. \u201cShe had the more centrist views,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bennett\u2019s victory comes as Kean, who received Trump\u2019s endorsement, remains out of public view. He did not make any appearances ahead of the primary, and he did not face a challenge for the Republican nomination.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kean issued a statement on Tuesday saying \u201cI will continue putting our constituents first\u201d and \u201cI am optimistic about the road ahead.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRight now I am focused on my recovery and under the advice of healthcare professionals. I will transition from virtual work to in person work within a matter of weeks,\u201d Kean said, without explaining his condition.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nina Orvyn, a Democratic voter and Bennett supporter who attended her victory party, said she was disappointed by Kean\u2019s absence.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Former mayor Gregg Hull wins Republican nomination for New Mexico governor<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cIt shines a spotlight on the fact that he\u2019s basically absent in the district and now he\u2019s absent in Congress,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n

The district was redrawn after the most recent census to become more favorable to Republicans, but it\u2019s gone back and forth in recent years. Kean ousted incumbent Democrat Tom Malinowski in 2022, who defeated Republican Rep. Leonard Lance in 2018.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Attorney wins GOP primary for US Senate and will try to dislodge Booker<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Justin Murphy, an attorney from southern New Jersey, won the state\u2019s Republican nomination for a U.S. Senate seat Tuesday, setting up a fall contest with incumbent Democratic Sen. Cory Booker.<\/span><\/p>\n

Murphy faces the tall task of becoming the first New Jersey Republican to win a race for Senate in more than five decades \u2014 and in a year when control of the chamber is being hotly contested.<\/span><\/p>\n

Booker was uncontested in Tuesday\u2019s Democratic primary and is running for a full third term.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rep. Jeff Van Drew is seeking a fifth term in southern New Jersey\u2019s 2nd District. He was originally elected as a Democrat but switched to the Republican Party during Trump\u2019s first term. Zack Mullock, the mayor of Cape May, New Jersey, won the district\u2019s Democratic primary Tuesday.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dr. Adam Hamawy, a surgeon and Army veteran, won a crowded primary in the heavily Democratic 12th District in central New Jersey, where Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman is retiring. He\u2019ll face attorney Gregg Mele, who was unchallenged in the GOP primary.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hamawy shot to prominence with endorsements from independent Sen. Bernie Sanders and other progressives. Some of his opponents recently began criticizing him over his connection to Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman, a blind Egyptian cleric convicted in 1995 of conspiring to blow up the United Nations and other New York-area landmarks.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hamawy was a defense witness in the sheikh\u2019s trial but wasn\u2019t accused of wrongdoing. He has condemned violence and distanced himself from the sheikh during the campaign. Abdel-Rahman died in federal prison in 2017.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Republican primary in New Jersey\u2019s 9th Congressional District was too early to call. Rosie Pino led Tiffany Burress by 366 votes out of 12,702 votes counted. It was unclear how many votes were left to count in Passaic County, where Burress led Pino by 45 percentage points.<\/span><\/p>\n

The winner will take on first-term Democratic Rep. Nellie Pou. Her margin of victory in 2024 was narrower than her long-serving predecessor, Rep. Bill Pascrell, and coincided with Trump winning a county in the district.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more US says it plans extra tariffs of 10 percent or more for most trading partners after forced labor probe<\/a><\/p>\n

Associated Press writer Meg Kinnard contributed to this report.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bennett\u2019s victory over three other Democrats on Tuesday sets up the\u00a0state\u2019s premier contest in November.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1811,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1812","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"yoast_head":"\nRebecca Bennett wins Democratic primary in New Jersey to take on Representative Tom Kean Jr. - Boston Relocation Insider<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=1812\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Rebecca Bennett wins Democratic primary in New Jersey to take on Representative Tom Kean Jr. - 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