Becchi still undecided about House bid

Rosemary Becchi, considered a leading challenger to Tom Kean Jr. in New Jersey’s 7th district, says she has not made any decisions about running for Congress.

Kean, the early front-runner to take on freshman Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-Rocky Hill), is expected to announce his candidacy next Tuesday.

“I’m really focusd on Jersey First right at the moment,” Becchi said about the 501 (c)(4) she formed to push for lower taxes. “I’m flattered by people who have raised it, but my focus is on developing really good policy.”

Becchi has met with some Republican leaders about a possible congressional run, but has stopped short of creating an exploratory committee.

“I’m not trying to hide the ball,” Becchi told the New Jersey Globe, noting that launching her issue advocacy group is her top priority right now.

A Short Hills resident, Becchi is a tax attorney and former U.S. Senate Finance Committee staffer.  She briefly mulled a primary challenge against five-term Rep. Leonard Lance (R-Clinton) in 2018.

POLITICO reported last month that Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, the Washington, D.C. law and lobbying firm Becchi works for, raised nearly $300,000 for the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Kean, the Senate Minority Leader, is viewed as a top-tier recruitment for the race against Malinowski.

State Sen. Michael Doherty (R-Oxford) and Assemblyman Erik Peterson (R-Franklin) have not ruled out running, but Republican insiders say there is no real indication of their interest.