New Jersey’s only House race that’s a real horse race is in the 7th Congressional District, where Democrat Sue Altman is the main challenger to first-term Rep. Tom Kean Jr., a Republican.
The race is a toss-up, according to the Cook Political Report, although registered Republicans outnumber Democrats in the district. That might explain why Altman’s first campaign ad features “lifelong Republicans” trashing her opponent.
Kean has endorsed Donald Trump for president, and that matters to a couple of lifelong Republicans we encountered in Westfield.
“I’m leaning unfortunately away from the Republican Party at the moment, and we’ll probably be going with the Democrat,” said Nick Bradshaw of Mountainside.
“Just as much as Harris enthusiasm is going to help Altman, that distaste for Trump — or any disdain toward Trump — is certainly going to hurt Kean down ballot as well,” said Ashley Koning, the director of the Rutgers Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling. “And especially when we’re talking about a numbers game. This is all about turnout.”
Kean’s first campaign ad, launched last week, presented him as a corruption fighter, who voted to toss his indicted colleague George Santos out of Congress. The ad doesn’t mention Altman, although Kean’s campaign manager Kean MacLelland responded to Altman’s ad Tuesday, stating, “Sue Altman is desperately trying to distract from her record as a serial antagonist who has called for defunding the police and supporting bail for convicted cop killers. Voters will reject her extreme positions come November 5th.”
“I’m not in favor of defund the police. I think it was a really silly hashtag from the middle of the pandemic that caught fire online,” Altman said. “I believe in a comprehensive vision for public safety that includes all stakeholders.”
Speaking to NJ Spotlight News’ Election Exchange podcast, Altman discussed her progressive stance as the former head of New Jersey’s Working Families Party. In 2019, Altman was dragged from a Trenton hearing when she opposed South Jersey political powerbroker George Norcross — who has since been indicted and pleaded not guilty to racketeering charges. Asked if she considers herself a radical, Altman said she does not. “It’s not radical to want to hold accountable somebody who’s been indicted for a crime,” she said.
“Altman was kind of branded as a progressive, originally,” said Koning. “And in order to win the 7th, she’s going to have to go towards the middle, she’s going to have to go towards the moderate, median voter.”
NJ Spotlight News invited Kean for an interview, but got no reply.
