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US Politics

Democrat Bennett ousts Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. in New Jersey House race

Kean missed more than 100 votes during an absence from March 5 to June 30 that he later linked to depression.

12 news outlets reported this
Liberal5 outletsA Democratic wave and a vulnerable Republican incumbentCenter1 outletBennett wins a district that keeps switching partiesConservative6 outletsKean's unexplained absence and Trump's low approval
Published 3 min read
Overview

Democrat Rebecca Bennett defeated Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. on Tuesday in New Jersey's 7th Congressional District. The seat is one Democrats sought in their bid to win control of . The Associated Press declared Bennett the winner at 9:48 p.m. EST.

Bennett is a former Navy helicopter pilot. The district includes President Trump's Bedminster golf club. Bennett campaigned on rising prices, an end to the Iran war and limits on Trump's use of .

Kean, in his second term, was away from Capitol Hill between March 5 and June 30. When he came back, he said he had been hospitalized and diagnosed with depression. NBC News reports he missed 140 votes in that span.

Weeks before the election, the Congressional Leadership Fund, a aligned with Speaker Mike Johnson, moved resources to other contests, according to CBS News. At the only debate, Kean defended Trump's economic record and the Iran war, according to Fox News. Bennett told reporters afterward she would have been more transparent in his position.

Key figures
  • 140 votes missed by Kean during his absence, by NBC News' count — NBC News
  • nearly $8.2 million raised by Bennett over the whole election season — CBS News
  • 60.8% of the vote Bennett's share with 65.4% of votes counted, per NBC News as cited by The Center Square — The Center Square
  • about $3.9 million raised by Bennett from July through September — CBS News

Three sides of the story

Liberal5 outlets

A Democratic wave and a vulnerable Republican incumbent

The Philadelphia Inquirer headlines a "Democratic blue wave" and says Trump's "plummeting approval rating" "appeared to drag down loyalists like Kean," who defended the war in Iran. It quotes Sue Altman, who lost to Kean two years ago: "The district overall deserves this win."

It also reports Bennett raised $8.2 million. CBS News opens with its projection that Bennett ousted Kean, then turns to his undisclosed illness and the renewed debate over how open officials should be about their health. It adds that the Congressional Leadership Fund shifted resources away from the race.

NBC News describes a "mysterious monthslong absence," counts 140 missed votes and quotes Speaker Mike Johnson saying the race was "common sense versus crazy." PBS NewsHour reports Democrats flipped the seat held by Kean, who did not disclose his depression diagnosis until he returned.

Center1 outlet

Bennett wins a district that keeps switching parties

The Seattle Times opens with the result: Bennett won election Tuesday, defeating Republican incumbent Thomas H. Kean Jr. It describes her as a former Navy pilot who flipped the district home to President Trump's Bedminster golf club. Her pitch, it says, was to tap into "public discontent over rising prices." She also urged an end to the Iran war and asked to restrain the president's import tariffs.

The paper adds that the seat has switched parties in both of the two most recent . It says Kean, who later cited depression, was away for a long stretch and missed more than 100 votes before losing. It closes with the time the Associated Press declared Bennett the winner, 9:48 p.m. EST.

Conservative6 outlets

Kean's unexplained absence and Trump's low approval

The New York Post leads with Kean losing "after disappearing for nearly four months" with no explanation. It lists high gas prices, affordability worries, unease over the Iran war and Trump's "sagging approval" as factors that combined to sink his campaign. The Center Square reports that Bennett had 60.8% of the vote with 65.4% counted, according to NBC News.

It quotes Kean saying in a September debate that "We were very clear with our constituents" about seeking medical treatment. It also quotes Bennett telling reporters after the debate that officials "need to be more transparent." Fox News headlines the loss of the district that is home to Trump's Bedminster golf course and quotes a senior House aide: "It's a bloodbath."

Citing multiple sources, it reports that the Congressional Leadership Fund and Inc. were pulling their investments from the district. The Washington Examiner reports the AP call at 9:48 p.m. and says Trump narrowly carried the district in 2024. It adds that Bennett and Democrats sought to use Kean's absence against him and tied him to Trump.

All sources: 12 articles from 12 outlets

Liberal (5)

Center (1)

Conservative (6)

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