Democratic challenger Rebecca Bennett defeated two-term Republican incumbent Tom Kean Jr. in New Jersey's 7th Congressional District on November 3, 2026. The defeat follows Kean's unannounced disappearance from Congress between March 5 and June 30, during which he missed over 100 votes before disclosing a hospitalization for depression. Bennett leveraged a significant fundraising advantage—raising $8.2 million to Kean's $5.9 million—and targeted voter discontent to flip the volatile swing district.
Election result in New Jersey's 7th district
- ▪Democrat Rebecca Bennett defeated incumbent Republican Tom Kean Jr. in the election for New Jersey's 7th Congressional District
- ▪Democrat Rebecca Bennett led Republican Tom Kean Jr. by 62% to 37% as of 9:45 pm EST on November 3, 2026
Kean's 2026 absence and hospitalization
- ▪On June 30, 2026, Republican Tom Kean Jr. delivered a House floor speech disclosing that his monthslong absence was due to hospitalization for depression
- ▪Republican Tom Kean Jr. was absent from the U.S. Capitol from March 5 to June 30, 2026, missing over 100 roll call votes
- ▪During Tom Kean Jr.'s 2026 absence, his office posted daily on social media, submitted remarks to the Congressional Record, and authored legislation while maintaining he had a personal medical issue
- ▪House Speaker Mike Johnson and Republican leaders refused to detail why Tom Kean Jr. was absent from public view prior to his June 30, 2026 speech
- ▪Reporters from NBC News and other outlets knocked on Tom Kean Jr.'s New Jersey home door during his absence from Congress between March 5 and June 30, 2026, but received no answer
Disclosures and debate on health
- ▪During his June 30, 2026 House floor speech disclosing his depression diagnosis, Republican Tom Kean Jr. stated that there is no timeline for recovery from the illness
- ▪Tom Kean Jr.'s unannounced hospitalization and extended absence renewed public debate regarding the level of health transparency required of elected officials
Rebecca Bennett's campaign platform
- ▪Democrat Rebecca Bennett campaigned on healthcare policy, addressing rising prices, opposing President Donald Trump's import tariffs, and calling to end the war in Iran
- ▪Democrat Rebecca Bennett attacked Republican Tom Kean Jr. for supporting legislation that she said enacted Medicaid cuts for thousands of residents in New Jersey's 7th Congressional District
Campaign fundraising totals
- ▪Democrat Rebecca Bennett raised nearly $8.2 million throughout the 2026 election cycle compared to Republican Tom Kean Jr.'s nearly $5.9 million
- ▪In the third quarter of 2026, Democrat Rebecca Bennett raised about $3.9 million while Republican Tom Kean Jr. raised less than $1 million
National party involvement and strategy
- ▪The Republican-aligned super PAC Congressional Leadership Fund shifted resources away from Tom Kean Jr.'s campaign in the closing weeks of the 2026 election
- ▪House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries both campaigned with their party's candidates in New Jersey's 7th Congressional District starting in August 2026
Political history of the 7th district
- ▪President Donald Trump won New Jersey's 7th Congressional District by 1.2 percentage points in the 2024 presidential election
- ▪New Jersey's 7th Congressional District flipped party control in 2018, 2022, and 2026
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