Sue Altman Courts GOP Voters in Tight NJ Race

BySophia Johannson

The battle for New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District has escalated as Democratic challenger Sue Altman launched a pointed attack ad featuring “lifelong Republicans” criticizing incumbent Rep. Tom Kean Jr., highlighting the high-stakes nature of what many consider the state’s only truly competitive House race this cycle. The district, which encompasses parts of Central and North Jersey, could play a pivotal role in determining which party controls the House of Representatives after November’s election.

According to the Cook Political Report, the race remains one of the tightest in the nation. The nonpartisan organization recently shifted its rating from “toss-up” to “lean Republican,” though both campaigns continue to treat the contest as highly competitive amid changing voter dynamics in the traditionally moderate district.

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Strategic Advertising Heats Up

Altman’s first campaign ad strategically features Republican voters expressing disappointment with Kean’s alignment with former President Donald Trump, according to NJ Spotlight News. The approach appears calibrated to appeal to moderate Republicans in a district where registered Republicans outnumber Democrats but where Trump’s influence remains divisive.

“I’m leaning unfortunately away from the Republican Party at the moment, and we’ll probably be going with the Democrat,” said Nick Bradshaw of Mountainside in an interview with NJ Spotlight News, representing the voter demographic Altman hopes to attract.

Kean’s campaign responded forcefully to Altman’s advertising offensive. Campaign manager Kean MacLelland stated, “Sue Altman is desperately trying to distract from her record as a serial antagonist who has called for defunding the police and supporting bail for convicted cop killers. Voters will reject her extreme positions come November 5th.”

Contrasting Backgrounds

The race features candidates with markedly different backgrounds and political journeys. Kean, 56, represents one of New Jersey’s most established political families. His father, Tom Kean Sr., served as governor, while his grandfather, Robert Kean, was a congressman. After attending Dartmouth College and earning a master’s degree from Tufts University, Kean worked at the Environmental Protection Agency before serving 14 years as Republican minority leader in the New Jersey State Senate, WHYY reports.

Altman, who grew up in Clinton within the district, followed a different path. After playing basketball at Columbia University and professionally in Ireland and Germany, she earned two master’s degrees from Oxford University. Her political activism began when she returned to New Jersey, eventually becoming executive director of the New Jersey Working Families Alliance, where she gained prominence for challenging what she viewed as corporate influence in state politics.

Key Issues and Positioning

Kean has focused his campaign on economic issues, touting his success in bringing $25 million back to the district for local improvements. “We’ve been working to make lives more affordable for people in this district,” he said, emphasizing his work on inflation, housing affordability, public safety, and energy independence.

Altman has rejected characterizations of her as a radical, particularly regarding law enforcement. “I’m not in favor of defund the police. I think it was a really silly hashtag from the middle of the pandemic that caught fire online,” she told NJ Spotlight News. “I believe in a comprehensive vision for public safety that includes all stakeholders.”

Ashley Koning, director of the Rutgers Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling, noted the strategic positioning happening on both sides. “Altman was kind of branded as a progressive, originally,” Koning said. “And in order to win the 7th, she’s going to have to go towards the middle, she’s going to have to go towards the moderate, median voter.”

National Implications

The contest has implications far beyond New Jersey’s borders, potentially helping determine control of the House of Representatives. Both national parties have identified the race as a priority, with resources flowing in from outside the district to support both candidates.

Kean’s first ad presented him as a corruption fighter who voted to remove indicted colleague George Santos from Congress—a move that underscores his attempt to establish independence from controversial elements within his party while maintaining support from its base.

Altman’s campaign, meanwhile, has sought to connect Kean to Project 2025, a conservative blueprint for executive branch restructuring that has become controversial in moderate districts. “It’s absurd, the stuff in Project 2025 is legitimately terrifying, and yet when my opponent is asked about it, he doesn’t stand up against it, even though we are one of the most moderate districts in the entire country,” Altman told WHYY.

Voter Turnout Key

Political analysts emphasize that the race will likely come down to turnout dynamics, with presidential politics playing a significant role. “Just as much as Harris enthusiasm is going to help Altman, that distaste for Trump—or any disdain toward Trump—is certainly going to hurt Kean down ballot as well,” Koning explained.

The 7th District encompasses all of Hunterdon and Warren Counties and parts of Morris, Somerset, Sussex, and Union Counties—a diverse mix of suburban and rural areas where both candidates are actively campaigning to secure every possible vote in what promises to remain one of the nation’s most closely watched congressional contests.

With less than two months until Election Day, both campaigns are expected to intensify their ground operations and advertising presence as they make their final cases to voters in this critical swing district.

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