Kean campaign raises over $500,000 in NJ-7 after candidate’s extended hospitalization

The month-long hospitalization of Rep. Tom Kean, Jr. (R-Westfield) for depression interrupted his re-election fundraising during the second quarter, and the two-term Republican from New Jersey’s 7th district reported raising $519,142 — below what is typically expected of an incumbent in a top-tier House battleground.

His Democratic opponent, Rebecca Bennett, raised $1.6 million during the same time period – about three times as much.

But Kean has $3,635,203 cash-on-hand as of the end of the reporting period, nearly three times as much as Bennett has in her account.  Bennett, a former U.S. Navy helicopter pilot making her first bid for public office, has $1.3 million left in the bank after winning an easy victory in a four-way Democratic primary last month.

Kean has raised over $4.9 million so far this cycle; Bennett’s total haul is over $4.2 million.

“Congressman Kean’s very decent fundraising quarter is a credit to his strong network of supporters that never lost faith in him,” said Harrison Neely, Kean’s top strategist.  “We are so excited for him to be back on a full schedule and look forward to continue earning the resources necessary to win re-election.”

Micah Rasmussen, the director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University, noted that “it’s rare for a challenger to have the chance to gain ground while the incumbent is standing still, as were the unique circumstances here.”

“With those now over, Kean will be moving ahead as Bennett seeks to further gain on him,” Rasmussen said.

Kean acknowledged that his health issue affected his fundraising.

“Over the past several months, I have been humbled by the prayers and encouragement my family and I have received from people across New Jersey’s 7th district,” Kean said.  “I am grateful to be back, healthy and fully focused on the work the people of our district sent me to Washington to do.

Politico reported that Kean held a fundraiser in Washington on the day he returned to Congress. That was also the final day of the second quarter and undoubtedly boosted his final numbers.

According to Kean’s campaign, he raised $167,585 pre-primary and $351,557 post-primary.

Neely said he was unimpressed by Bennett’s Q2 haul, noting that Kean’s 2024 Democratic rival, Sue Altman, raised more in the second quarter two years ago.

The money raised by Kean and Bennett will likely be dwarfed by outside spending in a district that could, like many, determine which party controls the U.S. House of Representatives.

In his 2024 re-election campaign, a combined $26.3 million was spent in a district that Donald Trump carried that year by one percentage point, and that Mikie Sherrill won in 2025 by two points.  It was the most costly House contest in New Jersey history.

The race rose to national prominence during Kean’s four-month absence from Congress.  He returned on June 30 and announced that he had been hospitalized for depression.  During his absence, he missed 140 roll call votes.

“The continued support for our campaign from residents across the district and country is deeply meaningful, and I am thankful to everyone who continues to stand with us,” said Kean. “Our campaign is built on service and results, and I am excited to continue sharing that vision with voters ahead of November.”