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Eight candidates are running in the Democratic primary for New Jersey's 7th Congressional District on June 2, 2026

By

Joseph Brusgard

Eight candidates are running in the Democratic primary for New Jersey's 7th Congressional District on June 2, 2026.

Bucks County Herald's Kathryn Loveless wrote that Democrats in the District "are hoping the right candidate can flip their seat away from Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Kean Jr."

Five candidates have led in media attention and fundraising:

  • Rebecca Bennett (D) is a former Navy pilot and has worked for various healthcare companies. She is campaigning on her Navy background and on lowering costs.
  • Megan O'Rourke (D) is an environmental scientist and a former Agriculture Department scientist. She is campaigning on food accessibility and on challenging Donald Trump's (R) policies.
  • Michael Roth (D) is a former interim leader of the Small Business Administration under Joe Biden (D). He is campaigning on changing the tax code and bringing federal benefits to the district.
  • Tina Shah (D) is a physician and former advisor under the Barack Obama (D) and Biden (D) administrations. She is campaigning on her professional experience and on lowering healthcare costs.
  • Brian Varela (D) is a business owner and chair of the Morris County Democratic Party Hispanic Caucus. He is campaigning to reduce campaign spending and support Medicare for All.

To read more about each candidate's policies, click here.

The New Jersey Globe's Zach Blackburn wrote that the general election "is expected to be one of the country’s premier congressional races this fall, and Gov. Mikie Sherrill won the 7th’s towns by slightly less than 2 percentage points during her landslide victory last year." In the past, the district voted for Donald Trump by six points in 2016, for Joe Biden by four points in 2020, and for Trump again by one point in 2024.

Each candidate has campaigned on electability, saying they are the best equipped to win the general election. Bennett points to her military experience and says voters who typically do not support Democrats may be more open to backing her. O'Rourke has discussed her upbringing in a Republican-leaning part of the district and says she understands how to win them over. Roth says he was successful in delivering federal funds at the Small Business Administration and will be able to contrast his record with Kean's. Shah says, as a doctor, she has treated people regardless of political views, and that she would take the same approach to meeting voters. Varela says as a young Hispanic man, he could win back those groups, whom he says Donald Trump (R) performed well with in 2024.

Beth Ellen Adubato (D), Michael Garth (D), and Felipe Santos (D) are also running.