Published 3 hours ago • loading... • Updated 3 hours ago
New Jersey Democrats pick opponent in district where US Rep. Tom Kean Jr. has been absent
Four Democrats are competing in a seven-figure race as outside groups spend about $650,000 attacking one candidate and Kean remains absent.
On Tuesday, Democrats will select a nominee in New Jersey's 7th District to challenge Republican incumbent Tom Kean Jr., who remains absent from Congress while addressing an unspecified "personal medical issue."
This battleground district, which features one of President Donald Trump's golf clubs, has fluctuated between parties in recent years, prompting intense Democratic interest in winning the seat for House control.
Four Democrats are vying for the nomination: former Navy pilot Rebecca Bennett, former Small Business Administration official Michael Roth, intensive care doctor Tina Shah, and businessman Brian Varela, backed by progressive groups.
Voters are also choosing a Republican Senate candidate to face Democratic Sen. Cory Booker, while Republicans in the 9th District select between attorney Tiffany Burress and Clifton City Councilwoman Rosie Pino to challenge Democratic Rep. Nellie Pou.
Elsewhere, candidate Adam Hamawy faces criticism over his past role as a defense witness for Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman, an Egyptian cleric convicted in 1995 of conspiring to bomb New York-area landmarks.