| A shady Republican super-PAC spent a staggering $650K to try and stop Navy helicopter pilot and mom of two Rebecca Bennett from facing off against absent Congressman Tom Kean Jr. in New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District. Their money just went up in smoke.
Now, national and local news outlets report that “in Bennett, Kean faces the candidate it appears Republicans most wanted to avoid” and that her victory has “quadrupled a sense of consternation among Republicans” who know they will lose this seat in November.
“I want to congratulate the Republican Party for lighting $650,000 on fire over the last two weeks,” Rebecca said during her victory speech last night. We agree.
Here’s what they’re saying about Rebecca:
Addressing supporters in Bridgewater, Bennett called Kean a “coward.”
“You are failing us, and you do not deserve to represent us in Washington,” she said. In her speech, Bennett referred to “Tom Kean Jr., wherever you are,” drawing applause from supporters. She criticized Kean over his vote for Trump’s tax legislation and his failure to stand up to the president’s threat to cut funding for a rail tunnel between New Jersey and New York…
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.
 Last month, a new political action committee with ties to Republicans began running negative ads that sought to undermine Ms. Bennett while elevating her opponents, who were considered less likely to beat Mr. Kean in a head-to-head matchup. The PAC, Real Change, was formed last month in Nebraska and spent roughly $650,000 to discredit Ms. Bennett…
“I want to congratulate the Republican Party for lighting $650,000 on fire over the last two weeks,” Ms. Bennett said Tuesday night about the PAC spending. “Because you know what that tells us? They know that I am our best shot at flipping this seat in November.”
 …between Trump’s unpopularity and the mystery surrounding Kean, who hasn’t voted or made a public appearance since March 5, Democrats are more confident about their chances of flipping the seat in November….
In Bennett, Kean faces the candidate it appears Republicans most wanted to avoid. Late in the campaign, a mysterious group called Real Change PAC began spending hundreds of thousands of dollars attacking Bennett…
Bennett, a former Navy helicopter pilot touted by many Democrats as a top recruit, led in both polls and fundraising heading into today’s primary. But in the race’s final weeks, she had to overcome an influx of negative ads from a mysterious super PAC with ties to Republicans, in what was apparently a GOP effort to prevent her from reaching the general election.
“New Jersey voters are ready to fire Kean Jr. and elect Rebecca because they know she will fight for them and their families,” said Suzan DelBene, the chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
In an interview last month, Bennett said she wished Kean a “speedy recovery,” but she accused him of being “nowhere to be found” on key issues affecting the district even before his medical problem.
“I do think, looking at his record, he has absolutely failed this district,” Bennett said. “I mean, he was the deciding vote on the ‘one big, beautiful bill,’ which is the reason why tens of thousands of people in our district are losing access to their health insurance.”
Bennett, whose moderate views and military background drew comparisons to New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill, focused her campaign on affordability issues and opposition to Trump’s policies. In an interview Monday, she wished Kean a speedy recovery but said he has been failing the district.
“He has been nowhere to be found even before he disappeared,” Bennett said.
A victory by Rebecca Bennett tonight in the CD-7 Democratic Primary quadrupled a sense of consternation among Republicans who tried hard through a PAC to prevent it from happening, while hoping Democrats would finish off the D’s best shot to flip this battleground congressional district.
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