Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-Westfield) hit the pavement Saturday morning in Springfield to knock on doors less than two weeks before the election.
Kean spoke with members of the Operating Engineers Local 825, which endorsed him earlier this year, before joining them in door-knocking on Saturday morning. Kean is locked in a tight 7th congressional district reelection battle against Sue Altman, a former leader of the state Working Families Party.
Kean attacked Altman’s previous support of the Green New Deal and accused the Democrat of supporting every tax increase Gov. Phil Murphy has offered.
“We need a country that’s strong, that’s innovative, and makes sure we put more people to work and is far more affordable than it is,” Kean said to members. “And with your help, I want to continue to be able to learn from you here in this area, we will do what we can to make sure to make America strong again.”
Kean told reporters after his remarks that he hopes to focus on issues like immigration and tax cuts in the closing days of the election.
“We’re a nation of immigrants and also a nation of laws,” Kean told reporters. “We need to know who’s coming to this country, and it needs to become a legal process. Right now, in the last three and a half years, 10 million illegal, unvetted migrants have come into this country across the northern border and across the southern border.”
Kean also emphasized the need for greater energy production and energy independence, saying efforts to increase nuclear and natural gas production are necessary for lowering energy prices and improving affordability in the state. He also said Amtrak and NJ Transit need to be held “accountable,” and said he supports infrastructure legislation like the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the CHIPS Act.
“Those are all things that need that can be done through important infrastructure bills,” Kean said.