Sue Altman’s campaign for New Jersey’s 7th congressional district received an endorsement today from former Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-Ringoes), the most recent Democrat to hold the highly competitive seat – a strong sign that Altman is a near-lock to become the district’s next Democratic nominee.
“Sue Altman has spent her whole career taking on entrenched interests in both parties in New Jersey, and she will be a fantastic member of Congress – principled, independent, fearless, a persuasive advocate for New Jersey, and present in our community,” Malinowski said in a statement. “I will enthusiastically support her in one of the few races in the country that can end the embarrassment of this do-nothing MAGA majority in the House of Representatives, and get us back to pragmatic, bipartisan governance.”
Since launching her campaign last May, Altman has outlasted three different Democratic opponents: Roselle Park Mayor Joe Signorello III, Summit Councilman Greg Vartan, and former U.S. State Department official Jason Blazakis, who dropped out of the race and endorsed Altman just last week. Blazakis’s exit left Altman as the presumptive nominee for the seat.
Malinowski was narrowly defeated by Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-Westfield) in 2022 but remains very popular among local Democrats in the 7th district, meaning that his endorsement goes a long way. In theory, another challenger could still enter the race – the filing deadline isn’t for another month and a half – but realistically, there’s little chance they could build up a serious enough campaign to take on Altman with only a few months to go until the primary.
In two weeks, Democrats in Hunterdon County will award their county organizational line, presumably to Altman; the party organizations in Somerset, Warren, Morris, and Union Counties will follow in the weeks afterwards. (The district’s sixth county, Sussex, does not have a county line.)
If Altman wins every line, it will be a remarkable turn of events for a politician who cut her teeth fighting against the county line system. As the former state director of the progressive Working Families Party, Altman has butted heads over the years with countless powerful New Jersey Democrats – many of whom are now likely to support her campaign against Kean.
See here for a full list of endorsements in New Jersey’s 2024 congressional contests.