New Jersey district is key battleground in the fight for control of Congress

New Jersey’s 7th congressional district is shaping up to be one of the most closely watched races in the 2024 midterm elections.

The district is currently represented by Republican Tom Kean Jr., who defeated incumbent Democrat Tom Malinowski in a narrow victory in 2022.

However, Democrats are hoping to win back the seat in 2024, and they have already seen three candidates jump into the race.

The 7th congressional district is a swing district that has been closely contested in recent elections. In 2020, Malinowski defeated Kean by just over 5,000 votes. Redistricting made the district slightly more Republican, which helped Kean to win in 2022.

Democrats are optimistic about their chances of winning back the seat in 2024, hoping that a high voter turnout similar to the one in 2020, will help them to overcome the redistricting advantage that Republicans hold.

The three Democrats who have already announced their candidacies for the seat are Sue Altman, a former executive director of the New Jersey Working Families Alliance; Roselle Park Mayor Joe Signorello; and former State Department official Jason Blazakis.

All three candidates are considered to be progressive Democrats, and they are all likely to focus on issues such as healthcare, education, and climate change.

Kean is expected to face a tough challenge from the Democratic nominee although no Republican seems to be interested in contesting him for the Republican nomination even though he is one of the more liberal GOP representatives in Congress.

Kean is a member of the Problem Solvers Caucus, a bipartisan group of House members who are committed to working together.

He has also been criticized for his close ties to the Republican Party establishment.

The grandson of former U.S. Representative Robert Kean and son of former Governor Thomas H. Kean, Sr., Kean, Jr. is continuing the family legacy of making a career out of holding political office at taxpayer expense and some New Jersey Republicans argue that he is a RINO—Republican in name only—who has distanced himself from former President Donald Trump.

The 2024 midterm elections are shaping up to be a battle for control of the House of Representatives, and New Jersey’s 7th congressional district is one of the key races to watch.

Altman, Blazakis, and Signorello have each positioned themselves to be identified as progressive Democrats, and they are all likely to focus on issues such as healthcare, education, and climate change. Altman is a former Republican while Blazakis

Kean is expected to face a tough challenge from the Democratic nominee. He is a member of the Problem Solvers Caucus, a bipartisan group of House members who are committed to working together to find common ground. However, he has also been criticized for his close ties to the Republican Party establishment.

The outcome of the race in the 7th congressional district could have a significant impact on the balance of power in the House of Representatives. If Democrats are able to win back the seat, it could help them to retake the majority in the House.

Reformed Republican Sue Altman was the executive director of the labor union-funded Working Families Party in New Jersey, and she is considered to be the frontrunner in the Democratic primary because she has raised more than a half million dollars for her campaign so far.

Altman claims to be an advocate for social and economic justice who has been a vocal critic of corporate greed and income inequality, but she is abandoning her professed positions on issues by pursuing placement on the ‘party line’ —or cheating to secure an advantage in the primary election.

“Political insiders have long known that New Jersey’s corrupt ballot design system is designed to reward connected candidates at the expense of the constituents they purport to represent,” said Antoinette Miles, who took over as interim state director at the New Jersey Working Families Alliance when Altman became a candidate. “It’s not about free speech or association rights for parties. It’s because the status quo system works for them. At the end of the day, our election laws need to change.”

Miles says a Fairleigh Dickinson University poll makes it clear that residents don’t want to continue New Jersey’s corrupt county-line ballot design voting system.

Altman also says she is a supporter of Medicare for All and a Green New Deal, but if she cannot stick to her guns in the fight to abolish the line, some progressives suspect that she would bow down to political establishment pressure on other issues.

Altman has raised over $500,000 with the backing of the Working Families Party and other progressive groups. However, she has also been criticized for her outspoken views and her outsider status in the Democratic Party.

Jason Blazakis: The National Security Democrat

Jason Blazakis is a former State Department official who served as the director of counterterrorism finance for a decade and as a professor at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, Johns Hopkins University, and UMD College Park, where he taught courses on terrorism, violent extremism, counterterrorism, and intelligence. Blazakis is running for Congress full-time.

He is a strong supporter of the Iran nuclear deal, and he has been vocal about the threat of far-right domestic terrorism. Blazakis called spiking gas prices amid Russian sanctions ‘a small price to pay’

Blazakis claims that he is a supporter of strong action on climate change but his consulting company worked for Talos Energy, an oil and gas company that engages in offshore drilling.

Blazakis is hoping to appeal to moderate voters and Republicans who are looking for an alternative to Kean. He has a strong national security background, and he is seen as a pragmatist who can work across the aisle.

However, Blazakis is not well-known in New Jersey, he is believed to have a limited fundraising base, and he has resided for the past six years in Monterey, California, the rugged central coast city immortalized by novelist John Steinbeck for its Cannery Row, one-time center of the sardine-packing industry.

Roselle Park Mayor Joe Signorello

Roselle Park Mayor Joe Signorello is a former prosecutor and a longtime Democratic activist. He is a strong supporter of unions and labor rights, and he has been a vocal advocate for affordable housing. Signorello is also a supporter of gun control and criminal justice reform.

Signorello is hoping to appeal to traditional Democratic voters who are looking for a candidate with experience in government. He is a well-known figure in New Jersey politics, and he has a strong fundraising base. However, Signorello is seen as a more moderate Democrat, and he may not be able to generate the same level of enthusiasm among progressive voters.

The Race to Watch

The race in the 7th congressional district is expected to be one of the most closely watched in the country. All three candidates are strong contenders, and the outcome of the race could have a major impact on the balance of power in the House of Representatives.
The race in the 7th congressional district is likely to be one of the most expensive in the country. Both parties are expected to pour millions of dollars into the race.
The outcome of the race in the 7th congressional district could have a significant impact on the balance of power in the House of Representatives. If Democrats are able to win back the seat, it could help them to retake the majority in the House.
Voters in New Jersey’s 7th congressional district should pay close attention to this race, as it could have a major impact on their lives.
View other drafts

New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District: A Key Race in the 2024 Battle for Control of the House

New Jersey’s 7th congressional district is shaping up to be one of the most closely watched races in the 2024 midterm elections. The district is currently represented by Republican Tom Kean Jr., who defeated incumbent Democrat Tom Malinowski in a narrow victory in 2022.

Democrats are hoping to win back the seat in 2024, and they have already seen three candidates jump into the race: Sue Altman, a former executive director of the New Jersey Working Families Alliance; Roselle Park Mayor Joe Signorello; and Essex County Sheriff Armando Fontán. All three candidates are considered to be progressive Democrats, and they are all likely to focus on issues such as healthcare, education, and climate change.

Kean is expected to face a tough challenge from the Democratic nominee. He is a member of the Problem Solvers Caucus, a bipartisan group of House members who are committed to working together to find common ground. However, he has also been criticized for his close ties to the Republican Party establishment.

The outcome of the race in the 7th congressional district could have a significant impact on the balance of power in the House of Representatives. If Democrats are able to win back the seat, it could help them to retake the majority in the House.

Voters in New Jersey’s 7th congressional district should pay close attention to this race, as it could have a major impact on their lives.