Note: This story was updated at 2:39 p.m. to reflect the fact that Flemington Councilwoman Susan Englehardt is not switching her endorsement from Brian Varela to Rebecca Bennett; she says she is instead supporting both candidates.
A huge group of Hunterdon County Democrats are coming out in support of Rebecca Bennett for New Jersey’s 7th congressional district today, among them the county’s lone Democratic state legislator.
Six candidates will be battling for the Hunterdon Democratic endorsement at their February 22 convention – the first convention of the 7th district campaign – and Bennett’s new supporters may make her the favorite to win, though the county’s open and broadly egalitarian convention process means that big-name endorsements aren’t always the end-all-be-all.
Topping the list is Assemblywoman Mitchelle Drulis (D-Raritan Township), who has represented parts of Hunterdon County since 2024 and who previously served as district director for ex-Rep. Tom Malinowski, the last Democrat to hold the 7th district. Drulis’s husband, Michael Drulis, was elected chairman of the Hunterdon County Democrats last year, though he’s staying neutral for now in the 7th district primary.
“Having worked on numerous campaigns, including serving as senior staff in the successful effort to flip NJ-07 in 2018, I bring a clear understanding of what it takes to win in this district, and my endorsement is grounded in that experience,” Mitchelle Drulis said in a statement. “This race is a must-win to restore stability in Congress, and Rebecca Bennett is the only candidate who has consistently demonstrated these qualities.”
Also on the endorsement list is Assemblyman Anthony Verrelli (D-Hopewell Township), who’s from neighboring Mercer County but represents a substantial chunk of Hunterdon in the legislature. Drulis and Verrelli join State Sen. Joe Cryan (D-Union) in supporting Bennett; one other legislator, Assemblywoman Marisa Sweeney (D-Morristown), has endorsed rival candidate Brian Varela.
Clinton Mayor Janice Kovach, High Bridge Mayor Michele Lee, and former Flemington Mayor Betsy Driver are supporting Bennett as well, as is Lambertville Mayor Andrew Nowick, who endorsed Bennett in November. (Kovach ran for the 7th district herself in 2014, before it was seen as a true swing district, and lost to Rep. Leonard Lance 59%-39%.) Local elected officials in Clinton, High Bridge, Lambertville, and Frenchtown, as well as Democratic county committeemembers from across the county, are also on the endorsement list.
At least going off of endorsements, Varela likely remains Bennett’s top opponent at the Hunterdon convention; he’s got endorsements from a handful of Englehardt’s colleagues in Flemington, last year’s Democratic nominees for county commissioner and the 23rd legislative district, and progressive activist Patricia Campos-Medina, a Hunterdon resident. This morning, Varela was endorsed by Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, whose 2025 gubernatorial campaign finished in an unexpectedly strong second place at the Hunterdon convention.
Full list of endorsements
• Assemblywoman Mitchelle Drulis (LD-16)
• Assemblyman Anthony Verrelli (LD-15)
• Former Hunterdon County Democratic Chair Lois Zarish
• Clinton Town Mayor Janice Kovach and Councilwoman Molly Padmos
• High Bridge Mayor Michele Lee and Councilwomen Natalie Ferry and Kelly Matos
• Lambertville Mayor Andrew Nowick; Councilmembers Benedetta Lambert, Karen Kominsky, Steven Stegman, and Evan Lide; Democratic municipal chair Meagan Warner; and former Mayor David Delvecchio (Note: Nowick and Lambert endorsed Bennett in November)
• Former Flemington Mayor Betsy Driver and current Councilwoman Susan Englehardt (Englehardt’s is a co-endorsement with Varela)
• Frenchtown Councilmembers John Dougherty and Elaine Warner
• Lebanon Borough Councilmembers Marlene Baldinger and Ben Valliere; Valliere is also the Democratic municipal chair
• Clinton Township Democratic municipal chair Kiely Williams-Kox
• Democratic county committeemembers from Clinton Town, Frenchtown, Raritan Township, and Readington
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