2 Democrats to challenge Kean

Two Democrats have said they plan to run for the 7th Congressional District seat now held by Rep. Tom Kean Jr.

Kean won re-election to his second term in November, defeating Democrat Sue Altman by more than 23,000 votes.

Rebecca Bennett, a former Navy helicopter pilot who lives in Somerset County, and Greg Vartan, a former Summit councilman, have joined the race.

Bennett is a former member of the Navy and current member of the Air National Guard. She is a working mother of two.

In a video on her campaign website, she says she felt called to run after the most recent election. “This is an opportunity for us to really draw a contrast to what is happening right now.”

Vartan briefly ran against Kean in 2024 before dropping out of the race, then endorsing Altman.

He is a sales manager at Ansell Healthcare Products in Iselin.

Vartan served on the Summit council for six years and was an emergency medical technician with the Summit Volunteer First Aid Squad for 12 years.

On his campaign website, he says, “I’m running to push back against the dangerous administration, bring people together and make government work for everyday New Jersey residents.”

The 7th District includes all of Hunterdon and Warren counties and parts of Morris, Somerset, Sussex, and Union counties. The Sussex County towns in the district are Andover Borough, Byram, Fredon, Green Township, Hopatcong, Ogdensburg, Sparta, Stanhope, Stillwater and Walpack.