Cryan endorses Bennett in NJ-7

A day after hosting a fundraiser for 7th congressional district candidate Rebecca Bennett, State Sen. Joe Cryan (D-Union Township) is making his support official and endorsing Bennett for Congress.

“Rebecca Bennett embodies the kind of leadership New Jersey needs in Congress,” Cryan said in a statement. “Rebecca has the courage to take on tough challenges and the compassion to fight for working families. I’m proud to endorse her because I know she’ll bring a strong, independent voice to Washington and deliver real results for the people of the 7th District.”

As Bennett’s campaign noted, Cryan is the first sitting state legislator to make an endorsement in the crowded 7th district Democratic field, though that won’t be true for long; Assemblywoman-elect Marisa Sweeney (D-Morristown), who will take office in January, endorsed rival Democrat Brian Varela in June.

Cryan’s 20th legislative district does not overlap with the congressional district Bennett is hoping to win, but he’s a powerful political player in Union County, which makes up around 30% of the 7th district’s Democratic primary vote. He’s also one of the only Union County politicians to have weighed in on the race; aside from a pair of former mayors, most other Union Democrats have stayed out thus far, perhaps in anticipation of the county party’s official endorsement vote next year.

Eight other Democrats are competing against Bennett, a former Navy helicopter pilot, for the right to take on Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-Westfield), who is considered to be one of the country’s most vulnerable Republican incumbents.