Sue Altman, the presumptive Democratic nominee for New Jersey’s closely watched 7th congressional district, raised more than $580,000 in the first three months of the year and has more than $910,000 on-hand for her race against Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-Westfield).
“These fundraising numbers demonstrate the growing strength of our grassroots campaign in what will be the most critical race in New Jersey this year, and we’re just getting started,” Altman said in a statement. “All eyes are on NJ-07 as we look to take back the House Majority and defeat Tom Kean, Jr. – an empty suit and rubber-stamp for extremism. As we continue to build this grassroots movement, I’m confident we’ll have the resources necessary to engage and mobilize voters across the district.”
Since launching her campaign last May, Altman – a former director of the New Jersey Working Families Party and a longtime figure in state progressive circles – has raised a total of close to $1.4 million.
She’ll need all of that and more to take down Kean, who is currently serving his first term in Congress after unseating Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-Ringoes) in 2022. As of the end of 2023, Kean had stockpiled $2.1 million to defend his seat; he has not yet released his fundraising numbers from the first quarter of this year.
Altman faces no opponents in June’s Democratic primary, so she’ll be able to save all of her resources for the general election. Kean does have one primary challenger, perennial candidate Roger Bacon, but he likely won’t need to spend a dime to win his race either.
Since the 7th district is widely viewed as New Jersey’s most competitive congressional district this year, there will likely be plenty more money coming into the district between now and November, both via the candidates themselves and via outside expenditures.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) recently added Altman to its “Red to Blue” list of top House candidates, indicating that national Democrats view the district as worth investing in. And with Republicans holding the narrowest of House majorities, defending Kean will undoubtedly be a top priority for GOP groups as well.