The road to keeping the House of Representatives under Republican control runs through New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District, so President Donald Trump will headline a pre-election rally alongside U.S. Rep. Tom Kean Jr., former Tabernacle Mayor Justin Murphy, and other prominent New Jersey candidates on Oct. 31 at the Warren County Fairgrounds.
The event, scheduled at the site also known as the Warren County Farmers’ Fair, marks the largest Republican political gathering in New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District ahead of Election Day.
Located in Harmony Township in the Phillipsburg area, the sprawling venue features open-air grass pasture fields, agricultural exposition spaces, and a main arena typically used for large-scale public events.
Kean, a New Jersey Republican who ran unopposed in the Republican primary, was absent on the day Trump endorsed him as an advocate for the district.
The GOP Congressman has been on the campaign trail since June, working to secure a third term.
He faces Democratic nominee Rebecca Bennett, a former Navy helicopter pilot who survived a contested primary and built substantial fundraising momentum. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries recently visited the district to promote Bennett’s candidacy.
In a statement praising the incumbent, Trump said, “Tom is working tirelessly to Keep our Border SECURE, Stop Migrant Crime, Grow our Economy, Cut Taxes and Regulations, Champion Small Business, Unleash American Energy DOMINANCE, Support our Brave Military and Veterans, and Protect our always under siege Second Amendment.”
Senate candidate Justin Murphy, who hopes to be the first Garden State Republican elected to the US Senate since 1972, said Trump’s visit signals that his campaign represents a new day in New Jersey politics.
“Being self-employed, I can identify with middle-class voters,” said Murphy. “I know firsthand financial struggle, debt, and stress. I know the long hours and countless weeks without a paycheck that many small business owners experience as a normal part of their working adult lives. Small business owners will have no better friend in Washington.”
Staunchly pro-life Murphy said he believes life begins at conception, and Trump’s Supreme Court appointees have allowed some states to outlaw abortion, but argued there is more to be done: “I support parental notification, the ban on partial birth abortion, and pro-adoption policies,” said Murphy.
House Speaker Mike Johnson previously campaigned with Kean in the district. However, three Republican leadership PACs have pulled advertising funds out of the district.
Despite Democratic opponents raising more than $8 million, Kean’s Republican colleagues expressed confidence in the race, citing Trump’s headlining appearance as a driver to generate GOP voter turnout.
It matters less how much money has been raised than who counts the votes, said a Republican insider who noted that nine of New Jersey’s 21 county clerks are Republicans, covering Atlantic, Cape May, Hunterdon, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Salem, Sussex and Warren counties.
That source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said there is a reason why Christine Giordano Hanlon, who won her third term as Monmouth County Clerk last year, was chosen to lead the New Jersey Republican Party in January.
“It is now more important than ever before to have a strong and unified Republican Party,” said Hanlon. “We need to come together to work for the betterment for the New Jersey Republican Party and the people of New Jersey.”
Pointing to Kean’s ancestry, which includes family members who have held public office since the Revolutionary War, allies argued that voters in the district are unlikely to support a radical candidate.
The New Jersey stop comes amid a broader campaign swing by national figures on both sides.
Trump recently held a midterm rally in Sioux City, Iowa, alongside Rep. Ashley Hinson, before making campaign stops in North Carolina and Ohio.
During Trump’s rally in Greenville, North Carolina, at least six protesters were escorted out of the event supporting
Republican Senate candidate
Michael Whatley, who has trailed Democratic opponent Roy Cooper.
Leave a Reply