Final price tag in 2024 NJ-7 race: $26.3 million

How much does a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives cost? In New Jersey’s competitive 7th congressional district, the answer this year was $26.3 million.

That’s a total that combines all spending from Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-Westfield) and his Democratic opponent, Sue Altman; from the three other Democrats who launched campaigns against Kean but dropped out before the primary; and from the nearly two dozen outside groups and PACs that got involved in the race with investments ranging from a couple thousand dollars to more than $6 million.

It was the most expensive House race in New Jersey history; several races for the same district in prior election cycles also broke $20 million in total spending, but none ever got as high as $26 million. (Adjusting for inflation, though, this year’s 7th district race might not remain #1).

Altman narrowly outspent Kean over the course of the race, spending $6.2 million to his $6 million. But a trio of Republican super PACs, among them the Congressional Leadership Fund and Elon Musk’s America PAC, spent a combined $8.7 million on the race, far more than the $4.8 million spent by the Democratic-aligned House Majority PAC and a coalition of progressive groups. (The CLF, a PAC aligned with House GOP leadership, was an especially prolific spender, investing $6.9 million in the effort to re-elect Kean.)

Overall, Republicans outspent Democrats in the 7th district $14.7 million to $11.6 million, though the advantage may have been a bit smaller than that since outside groups get worse returns on investment than candidates themselves. Kean was the victor, defeating Altman 52% to 46%.

Close behind the 7th district in total cost was the campaign for U.S. Senate, which now-Senator Andy Kim won over Republican Curtis Bashaw.

The Senate election cost a total of $22.8 million, with Kim spending $11.9 million (a total which includes the eight months of 2023 when he was still running for re-election to the House), Bashaw spending $4.1 million, and a host of other unsuccessful primary candidates on both sides spending yet more, including $3.1 million spent by Democrat Tammy Murphy before she dropped out of the race against Kim. (These totals don’t include anything spent by former Senator Bob Menendez, who used up most of his warchest this year on his legal defense.)

Outside groups spent another $2.1 million on the race, with the Kim-aligned Leadership With Integrity PAC dropping $885,000 and the Bashaw-aligned United 2024 spending $650,000.

The next-most expensive races were the 8th district, where Rep. Rob Menendez (D-Jersey City), Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla, and allied outside groups spent upwards of $6 million whacking one another during a brutal primary; the 11th district, where Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-Montclair) spent $4.9 million ahead of her now-official campaign for governor; and the 2nd district, where Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-Dennis) spent quite a bit of money last year while exploring a possible Senate campaign and where Democrat Joe Salerno self-funded much of his $1.7 million in spending.

Notably far from the top of the list of most expensive races was the one that actually ended up being the closest: the 9th district, where Rep.-elect Nellie Pou (D-North Haledon) only beat Republican Billy Prempeh 51% to 46% as the district shockingly flipped to supporting Donald Trump.

$2.8 million was spent on the race overall, and much of that came during the primary between Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-Paterson) and Prospect Park Mayor Mohamed Khairullah. After Pascrell died in August, Pou was chosen as his last-minute replacement on the ballot, and she spent $469,000 during the course of her two-and-a-half-month campaign; Prempeh spent an even paltrier $47,000.

That’s not likely to remain the case in 2026, though. With Pou now one of thirteen House Democrats representing a Trump-won district, both parties will probably see the 9th district as a key battleground in two years – and with that designation typically comes quite a bit of money.