Rebecca Bennett Wins Primary to Take on Absent Congressman Tom Kean

Thomas Kean Jr., a member of the Republican Party, during the press conference on April 22, 2024 in Kyiv, Ukraine. —Vitalii Nosach—Global Images UkraineDemocratic voters in a New Jersey congressional district where the sitting Congressman hasn’t been seen in months settled on former Navy pilot Rebecca Bennett to take on Republican Rep. Tom Kean, in what is shaping up to be a top-tier race in the fight for House control.Kean, who is seeking a third term, has missed 99 House votes since March 5, and hasn’t been seen in public view for nearly three months. Kean and his office have blamed an unspecified medical illness but the lack of further details has spurred frustration and conspiracy theories in Washington and within New Jersey’s 7th District, which Democrats had long planned to aggressively target after President Donald Trump won it by just one point in 2024.“You are failing us,” Bennett said of Kean to her supporters in Somerville, “and you do not deserve to represent us in Washington.”Bennett defeated three opponents: former Small Business Administration official Michael Roth, physician Tina Shah, and businessman Brian Varela. Kean is one of dozens of House Republicans Democrats are targeting in hopes of flipping control of the chamber. Read More: Trump Is in Freefall—and Democrats Still Might Blow ItBennett is a veteran of 15 years, having worked as a U.S. Navy helicopter pilot and an officer in the Air National Guard. After her service, she transitioned to healthcare as an executive at several different businesses. Ahead…

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