Tom Kean Jr.’s local newspaper has a suggestion for New Jersey voters: fire him and replace him with Rebecca Bennett this November.
The My Central Jersey Editorial Board rebukes Kean Jr., writing:
- “He has consistently avoided interacting with ordinary voters in the 7th Congressional District. He has not held in-person town hall meetings, and he doesn’t give advance notice of his rare public appearances.”
- “He’s a sycophant Republican who has been in lockstep with President Donald Trump.”
And they offer praise for Bennett, saying:
- “Bennett would give residents of the 7th Congressional District a fresh voice in the House of Representatives.”
- “Best of all, Bennett is not a career politician […] she would be a pragmatic and articulate advocate for the issues that affect the everyday lives of residents of the 7th Congressional District.”
Read more of the endorsement for yourself:
- There are several reasons why Tom Kean Jr. doesn’t deserve to be elected to a third term in the House of Representatives. He has consistently avoided interacting with ordinary voters in the 7th Congressional District. He has not held in-person town hall meetings, and he doesn’t give advance notice of his rare public appearances.
- Kean’s handlers keep him in a cone of silence, out of contact with members of the press and, more importantly, his constituents. There is no opportunity for residents to ask him about the issues that affect them most.
- In contrast, in the first week of October, his Democratic opponent, Rebecca Bennett, gave three days’ notice of three opportunities for the public and press to ask her questions at campaign stops in Scotch Plains, Basking Ridge and Long Hill.
- Kean also does not deserve to be reelected because of the way he handled his three month absence from the House of Representatives earlier this year. We understand that he needed time to confront clinical depression, and we wish him the best in the continuing struggle with the illness.
- What was disturbing was the lack of transparency he owed his constituents. If he had been upfront about the illness, Kean would have gained support from 7th District voters who are intelligent enough to understand and sympathize with what he was experiencing.
- There is one simple and overriding reason why Kean should not be reelected: He’s a sycophant Republican who has been in lockstep with President Donald Trump and the GOP legislative leadership.
- As a loyal backbencher in the do-nothing House of Representatives, Kean has been a dutiful GOP spear carrier. He has maintained a Sphinx-like silence about the outrageous, disturbing, bellicose and embarrassing rhetoric of the president. His silence implies consent.
- Bennett would give residents of the 7th Congressional District a fresh voice in the House of Representatives. Her background includes an MBA from the Wharton School of Business and 15 years as a helicopter pilot in the Navy and Air National Guard. Unlike Kean, she has held a traditional full-time job in the private sector as a health care executive.
- Best of all, Bennett is not a career politician. Though she may not have legislative experience or be a policy wonk, she would be a pragmatic and articulate advocate for the issues that affect the everyday lives of residents of the 7th Congressional District.
- A Republican super PAC is running commercials that denounce Bennett as a “greedy liberal millionaire,” another unbelievably ironic charge given that her opponent is worth, by his own admission, $10 million. The ad also criticizes her for being a health care executive, which may not have much resonance in a congressional district whose economy is dependent on health care.
- The 7th District needs a representative who will be an activist, unafraid to adopt unpopular causes and fight the good fight. The district needs a representative with a wide-ranging background in both the private sector and government service, particularly the military. The district needs someone who will interact with constituents, talk to them and listen to them throughout the year, not just when campaign season rolls around. The district wants a representative who will carry the message to Capitol Hill that the public, worried about affordability, is fed up with snake oil and partisan gibberish that seldom delivers what it promises.
- That’s why Rebecca Bennett should be elected to the House of Representatives.
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