Tom Kean Jr., the New Jersey Republican congressman whose four-month absence from the House this year went unexplained until he disclosed that he was being treated for depression, clashed Sunday with Democratic opponent Rebecca Bennett in the battleground district over his support for President Donald Trump’s tariffs and the Iran war.
Appearing on stage together for their first and only debate before the Nov. 3 midterm elections, Kean latched himself
to Trump’s divisive record, defending Trump’s signature protectionist economic policies that have roiled global trade and backing Trump’s decision to launch attacks on Iran, saying the country could not be permitted to obtain a nuclear weapon.
Bennett, a Navy veteran, sought to tap into public discontent over rising prices, and urged an end to the war and called on Congress to rein in Trump’s use of tariffs on imports.
The 7th Congressional District, which includes Trump’s Bedminster golf club, has changed party control in each of the past two midterm elections, making it a magnet for campaign spending and a political barometer. Republicans are trying to defend their narrow House majority at a time when Trump’s approval rating is deeply underwater and gas prices are rising because of his war with Iran.
Kean, who has voted against resolutions aimed at halting military action in Iran, defended the war.
“I think when you look at what Iran's terrorist leadership says — they say death to America. They have as their goal a nuclear weapon,” Kean said.
Bennett, a Navy veteran, called for an end to the conflict.
“We need to end the war in Iran,” she said. “The reason that we are seeing this increase in our gas prices is because of this unnecessary war.”
On tariffs, Kean said they were the president's prerogative. Bennett said Congress should step in.
Kean, a former state legislator who comes from a deep-rooted political family, is seeking a third term. During his absence, he missed more than 100 votes.
He returned in June and said he had been hospitalized for depression and that he was a private person by nature.
Bennett, a former Navy pilot who also worked as a healthcare executive, is a political newcomer. She won a competitive primary in June and was widely viewed as a more moderate and electable Democrat than some of her competitors.
Millions of dollars have poured into the race.
Last week, a super PAC tied to the Republican president indicated it would spend more than $3 million to help Kean in the race. Another political action committee tied to Democrats has set aside about $2.5 million for television ads in the New York market to help Bennett and another Democrat in a New York district.
Kean's district became slightly more Republican after the redistricting following the 2020 census. Nonetheless, Democrats view it as a prime pickup opportunity.
Kean won in 2022 by unseating Democrat Tom Malinowski, who had ousted Republican Leonard Lance in 2018.
