Republican state Sen. Tom Kean Jr. (R-Westfield) fell 5,329 votes short—less than 1 percentage point—of unseating Democrat Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-NJ) in their 2020 New Jersey Congressional District 7 (CD 7) race.
Kean, the son of former Republican New Jersey Gov. Thomas Kean Sr., earned a 2022 Midterm rematch with Malinowski on June 7 when he defeated six party rivals in the CD 7 GOP primary.
With post-Census reapportionment adding about 10,000 more registered Republican voters to the suburban swing district, Kean is now regarded by many forecasters as a narrow favorite to win one the nation’s most-watched Nov. 8 congressional elections.
Malinowski-Kean II is New Jersey’s marque 2022 Midterms battle and among 22 elections nationwide where congressional seats now held by Democrats are up for grabs in “tossup” races. …