Brian Varela adds his name to growing Dem field in NJ’s 7th district

Brian Varela first tried to run for public office in 2022 against now-Rep. Rob Menendez (D-Jersey City), but he never made it to the ballot thanks to issues with his petitions. Now, after a stint as the leader of the New Jersey Forward Party, he’s throwing his hat back into the congressional arena – this time against Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-Westfield).

Varela, a small business owner and self-described grassroots organizer, moved from North Bergen to Morris County’s Washington Township in 2023, putting him squarely within the boundaries of the competitive 7th congressional district. And he said in his announcement that he has what it takes to make Kean, a top target for Democrats in 2026, into an ex-congressman.

“I’m not running for a title – I’m running to fight back,” Varela said. “I’ve lived the struggles that New Jersey families face every day. I’ve made impossible choices, raised my younger brother after my mom passed, and built a nationally recognized business during one of the toughest economic crises in modern history. I know what it’s like to struggle, to sacrifice, and to win – and that’s the fight I’ll take to Congress.”

Democrats have no shortage of candidates in the 7th district, which spans a variety of suburbs and small downs in Central and North Jersey; two other contenders are already in the race, and at least three more are having serious discussions about running. Varela’s entrance further expands the Democratic field, with the primary still more than a year away. (At this same point in the 2024 cycle, not one 7th district Democrat had yet launched a campaign.) 

The 36-year-old Varela, the son of Colombian immigrants and a New Jersey native, has worn a number of different hats over the course of his nascent political career. 

His first job in politics was as a press shop intern for Gov. Chris Christie in 2010, but when he first ran for office himself in 2022, it was as a Democrat. That year, he was one of several anti-machine candidates who tried to run for retiring Rep. Albio Sires (D-West New York)’s Hudson County-based seat against Menendez, the choice of the Hudson County Democratic organization.

Varela’s campaign received a notable endorsement from former presidential candidate Andrew Yang, but he was booted off Democratic primary ballots because he had accidentally collected most of his petition signatures from a part of Kearny that wasn’t in the 8th congressional district. Menendez went on to win the primary in a landslide.

Soon afterwards, Yang tapped Varela to become the leader of the New Jersey branch of the Forward Party, a centrist third party that Yang had founded. (One of its other co-founders: former Gov. Christine Todd Whitman, a Republican who has since distanced herself from her old party.)

Varela also moved to the rural community of Long Valley in Morris County and quickly got involved in politics there, becoming the chairman of the Morris Dems Hispanic Caucus. He ran for Washington Township Committee last year but – as could be expected for a Democrat in the staunchly Republican town – lost handily.

Even launching his campaign this early, Varela may have some catching up to do with the other candidates in the race. Former Navy helicopter pilot Rebecca Bennett has already raised more than $425,000 for her campaign, former Summit Councilman Greg Vartan has a well-established political base in Summit, and many of the other candidates looking at the race have public and private sector connections that could translate into major financial and political support.

And Kean, too, will not be easy to beat for any Democrat. A former state legislator, Kean first got to Congress in 2022 by unseating Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-Ringoes), and won re-election by a larger margin last year against Sue Altman; while the 7th district remains highly competitive territory, it did narrowly vote for Donald Trump last year after supporting Joe Biden in 2020.

None of that, though, is deterring Varela from trying to flip his new home district.

“We need new voices in Washington – leaders who aren’t born into a political dynasty, who don’t come from privilege, and who actually understand what families are going through,” he said. “If you want to know who I’ll be fighting for, it’s everyone from cooks to food servers, truck drivers to Uber drivers, single parents to two-income families barely making ends meet. These are the people I’ve known my entire life. And I will never let them down.”