Summit Councilman Greg Vartan announced today that he’ll back progressive activist Sue Altman in the Democratic primary for New Jersey’s 7th congressional district, a primary in which he was a candidate until two weeks ago.
“We need someone who understands the values and priorities of the district, can fight for them and has the resources to win. That’s Sue Altman,” Vartan said in a statement. “Since the beginning of my campaign I’ve been saying I believe there is an emergency in Washington. Getting to know Sue, I am confident she has what it takes to win back this seat, take the emergency in Washington head on, and restore competent representation to our district.”
The endorsement is a big one for Altman, who has steadily worked to consolidate support against her one remaining primary rival, Jason Blazakis, a former counterterrorism official at the U.S. State Department. Altman has built up a substantial fundraising lead against Blazakis, and is increasingly looking like the frontrunner to take on Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-Westfield) in the swing district.
Vartan, who dropped out of the race on January 25 after a two-month campaign, will also be joining Altman’s campaign as a senior advisor.
Before ending his campaign, Vartan had been the only candidate in the race from Union County, which makes up around one-third of the district’s Democratic primary vote. His endorsement could be a signal that Union Democrats are amenable to supporting Altman, despite her history tussling with the Democratic establishment in Union County and elsewhere as the former head of the progressive New Jersey Working Families Party.
“My fellow municipal officials should feel confident that, once in Congress, Sue will be a powerful advocate for the interests of our communities in Washington,” Vartan said.
But long before Union Democrats make any endorsement, Democrats in Hunterdon County will meet for the district’s first county convention on February 25. Altman and Blazakis, both of whom live in the county, will be competing head-to-head for the Hunterdon Democratic organizational line, and whoever wins will enter the rest of convention season with significant momentum.
The eventual primary winner will go up against Kean, who unseated Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-Ringoes) in a tight 2022 race. Kean’s two bouts against Malinowski in 2020 and 2022 were New Jersey’s closest congressional races in those two cycles, and regardless of the Democratic nominee against him this year, Kean is widely expected to be in for a tough fight once again.
See here for a full list of endorsements in New Jersey’s 2024 congressional contests.