Democrat Rebecca Bennett defeats Rep. Tom Kean Jr. in New Jersey’s 7th District

The former Navy helicopter pilot unseated the two-term Republican incumbent in one of the nation’s most closely watched congressional races.

Democrat Rebecca Bennett defeated Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. on Tuesday, becoming just the second Democrat in 45 years to win New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District and flipping a closely watched seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Bennett, a 39-year-old health care executive and former U.S. Navy helicopter pilot, received about 176,836 votes as of 11 p.m. Tuesday, or nearly 60%, according to preliminary election results. Kean, a two-term incumbent, received about 121,757 votes, or 39%.

The Associated Press called the race for Bennett at 9:48 p.m. Tuesday.

At her election-night victory party, Bennett told cheering supporters that Kean had called to concede the race and congratulate her on the win.

“Now, my job is to make sure we are making things better for all of us,” Bennett said. “And tonight we have sent a message that we are not giving up on this country that we love. We are getting to work.”

Bennett also criticized President Donald Trump’s administration, blaming its policies for rising costs and making the American dream increasingly difficult for families to achieve.

“I will work with whoever wants to work with me on solving the cost-of-living crisis that we are dealing with in this country,” she said. “But let’s be clear: it is not an accident that we find ourselves in this position. All of these costs have risen because we have an administration in Washington that is the most corrupt we have ever seen in the history of this country.”

She accused the administration of putting special interests ahead of ordinary Americans and called for changes in Washington.

“Instead of working to make our lives better, they put special interests first — and profit — while we pay the price,” Bennett said. “But now you’ve spoken loud and clear: it’s time for change. Let’s take on the rampant corruption in Washington and start putting families first.”

The victory marked a significant Democratic gain in a district that Republicans had held for decades before Democrat Tom Malinowski won the seat in 2018. Kean defeated Malinowski in 2022 after redistricting made the district more favorable to Republicans.

The 7th District includes Hunterdon and Warren counties and parts of Morris, Somerset, Union, and Sussex counties. About 34% of its registered voters are Republicans, while roughly 32% are Democrats. Most of the remaining voters are unaffiliated.

The race attracted national attention as Democrats sought to regain control of the House and Republicans worked to protect one of the most competitive seats in the election.

Bennett, of Bridgewater, raised more than $8 million during the campaign, compared with roughly $6 million raised by Kean. Outside political groups spent more than $15 million trying to influence the outcome, bringing combined campaign fundraising and outside spending to nearly $30 million.

Kean, 58, a former state legislator who lives in Westfield, was seeking his third term in Congress. He previously served in both the New Jersey General Assembly and state Senate and is the son of popular former New Jersey Gov. Thomas Kean, whose family has been involved in American politics since the Revolutionary War era.

Kean was absent from Congress for nearly four months earlier this year, missing more than 100 House roll call votes. Although he acknowledged an unspecified medical issue in April, he did not publicly disclose the nature of his condition for months.

It was not until late June, after returning to Washington, that Kean disclosed he had been hospitalized and diagnosed with depression. In a speech on the House floor, he said he had followed his doctors’ recommendations to remain under their care.

Kean repeatedly dodged the press, and his staffers threatened to arrest a New York Times reporter who tried to attend a campaign event. He also closed off his election night gathering to the press.

The candidates met for just one debate on Sept. 27, when Kean defended Trump’s tariffs and the war in Iran. Bennett called for an end to the war and said Congress should intervene to halt the tariffs.

Polling during the final months of the campaign showed Bennett gaining ground. An independent survey conducted in September put her five percentage points ahead of Kean.

In mid-October, two major Republican political action committees withdrew financial support from Kean’s race and redirected spending toward other Republican candidates. They included the Congressional Leadership Fund, which is aligned with House Speaker Mike Johnson, and Trump’s Affordability and Safety PAC.

Bennett’s victory drew praise from national Democratic organizations and advocacy groups that had supported her campaign.

Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said Bennett had served both her community and the country and would work to lower costs, protect health care, make housing more affordable, and create jobs.

Shaughnessy Naughton, president of 314 Action Fund, which supports Democratic candidates with scientific and technical backgrounds, said Bennett’s victory demonstrated that candidates with those backgrounds could win competitive congressional districts.

“Rebecca Bennett was a test pilot for the Navy and later worked on innovative healthcare solutions to improve patient outcomes and lower costs,” Naughton said.

Michelle Hernandez, director of Climate Power’s Eastern Hub, criticized Kean’s support for Trump’s policies, saying Bennett would focus on reducing household energy costs.

“New Jersey voters sent a clear message by electing Rebecca Bennett and rejecting Tom Kean Jr.’s record of putting corporate polluters and Donald Trump’s extreme agenda ahead of Garden State families,” she said in a statement. “In Congress, Bennett will be a champion for clean energy investments that create good-paying local jobs and lower household utility and energy costs across the district.”