Assemblyman James Kennedy (D-Rahway), the only Democratic state legislator who lives within the boundaries of the highly competitive 7th congressional district, confirmed today what was already widely assumed: he’s not running for Congress next year.
“Running from Congress, or for Congress?” Kennedy joked. “No, no interest.”
The lone Democrat currently running against 7th district Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-Westfield) is Sue Altman, a progressive activist and the former director of the New Jersey Working Families Party. Kennedy said he didn’t know much about Altman and wouldn’t take sides in the Democratic primary yet.
“I haven’t heard anything as of yet, but we’ll see.” he said. “I don’t know Sue Altman, so I’m sure we’ll get to meet her.”
While Kennedy is the only Democratic legislator who will actually be able to vote in the upcoming 7th district contest, several other Democrats represent districts that have substantial overlap – among them Assemblyman Roy Freiman (D-Hillsborough), who was floated as a potential candidate but ultimately declined to run. (Parts of Hillsborough are in the district, but not Freiman’s home.)
When asked about the race today, Freiman did not express a preference for who the Democratic nominee should be and said he was far more focused on his competitive re-election campaign this year.
“CD-7 is obviously a very important race on so many different levels,” Freiman said. “That said, there’s a very important election coming up before that one. I’m more focused on this November than that November.”
It’s not yet clear whether Altman will face any serious opposition before she can reach the general election against Kean. As the leader of the Working Families Party, Altman often battled with Democratic Party leaders – but with endorsements and cash already flowing towards Altman’s campaign, those leaders may not have much interest in trying to stop her.
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