BRIDGEWATER, N.J. (AP) 鈥� Rebecca Bennett, a former Navy helicopter pilot, in a battleground New Jersey congressional district to take on ., who with an unspecified illness for months.
Bennett鈥檚 victory over three other Democrats on Tuesday sets up the , when the party hopes it can flip the onetime Republican stronghold that has proven competitive in recent years. The district includes bedroom communities and farm towns as well as President Donald Trump鈥檚 Bedminster golf club.
Kean鈥檚 absence 鈥� his last vote was in early March 鈥� has supercharged interest in the seat, which Democrats view as key to winning control of the narrowly divided U.S. House. Voters in the 7th District have ousted two incumbents during midterm elections over the past decade.
Addressing supporters in Bridgewater, Bennett called Kean a 鈥渃oward.鈥�
鈥淵ou are failing us, and you do not deserve to represent us in Washington,鈥� she said.
In her speech, Bennett referred to 鈥淭om Kean Jr., wherever you are,鈥� drawing applause from supporters. She criticized Kean over his vote for and his failure to stand up to the president’s threat to cut funding for a rail tunnel between New Jersey and New York.
Trump’s package of spending and tax cuts expanded the state and local tax deduction. New Jersey has among the highest property taxes in the nation.
Democrats like Bennett are focusing on rising costs caused by Iran war
The Democrats are leaning into the of groceries and gasoline caused by and Trump鈥檚 .
Bennett built her campaign around her experience as a Navy helicopter pilot as well as around affordability, noting that she drives a no-frills sedan and emphasizing her relatability as a working mom.
Araz Shahinian, a 49-year-old systems developer, said he voted for Bennett, noting he鈥檚 worried about the state of politics and rising prices. 鈥淪he had the more centrist views,鈥� he said.
Bennett’s victory comes as Kean, who received Trump鈥檚 endorsement, remains out of public view. He did not make any appearances ahead of the primary, and he did not face a challenge for the Republican nomination.
Kean issued a statement on Tuesday saying 鈥淚 will continue putting our constituents first鈥� and 鈥淚 am optimistic about the road ahead.鈥�
鈥淩ight now I am focused on my recovery and under the advice of healthcare professionals. I will transition from virtual work to in person work within a matter of weeks,鈥� Kean said, without explaining his condition.
Nina Ovryn, a Democratic voter and Bennett supporter who attended her victory party, said she was disappointed by Kean’s absence.
鈥淚t shines a spotlight on the fact that he鈥檚 basically absent in the district and now he鈥檚 absent in Congress,鈥� she said.
The district was redrawn after the most recent census to become more favorable to Republicans, but it’s gone back and forth in recent years. Kean ousted incumbent Democrat Tom Malinowski in 2022, who defeated Republican Rep. Leonard Lance in 2018.
Attorney wins GOP primary for US Senate and will try to dislodge Booker
Justin Murphy, an attorney from southern New Jersey, won the state鈥檚 Republican nomination for a U.S. Senate seat Tuesday, setting up a fall contest with incumbent Democratic Sen. .
Murphy faces the tall task of becoming the first New Jersey Republican to win a race for Senate in more than five decades 鈥� and in a year when control of the chamber is being hotly contested.
Booker was uncontested in Tuesday’s Democratic primary and is running for a full third term.
Rep. Jeff Van Drew is seeking a fifth term in southern New Jersey鈥檚 2nd District. He was originally elected as a Democrat but switched to the Republican Party during Trump’s first term. Zack Mullock, the mayor of Cape May, New Jersey, won the district’s Democratic primary Tuesday.
Dr. Adam Hamawy, a surgeon and Army veteran, won a crowded primary in the heavily Democratic 12th District in central New Jersey, where Rep. is retiring. He’ll face attorney Gregg Mele, who was unchallenged in the GOP primary.
Hamawy shot to prominence with endorsements from independent Sen. Bernie Sanders and other progressives. Some of his opponents recently began criticizing him over his connection to Sheikh , a blind Egyptian cleric convicted in 1995 of conspiring to blow up the United Nations and other New York-area landmarks.
Hamawy was a defense witness in the sheikh’s trial but wasn鈥檛 accused of wrongdoing. He has condemned violence and distanced himself from the sheikh during the campaign. Abdel-Rahman died in federal prison in 2017.
The Republican primary in New Jersey鈥檚 9th Congressional District was too early to call. Rosie Pino led Tiffany Burress by 366 votes out of 12,702 votes counted. It was unclear how many votes were left to count in Passaic County, where Burress led Pino by 25 percentage points.
The winner will take on first-term Democratic Rep. Nellie Pou. Her margin of victory in 2024 was narrower than her long-serving predecessor, Rep. Bill Pascrell, and coincided with Trump winning a county in the district.
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This story was first published on June 2, 2026. It was updated on June 3, 2026 to correct that in the Republican primary for the 9th District, Tiffany Burress led Rosie Pino in Passaic County by 25 percentage points, not 45 points, and to correct the spelling of a Bennett supporter鈥檚 name to Nina Ovryn, not Orvyn.
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Associated Press writer Meg Kinnard in Columbia, South Carolina, contributed to this report.
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