Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-Westfield) raised $970,532 during the first quarter of 2025 – an enormous sum that’s larger than any of Kean’s Q1 fundraising efforts during his prior campaigns.
Kean, who is set to face yet another serious Democratic effort to flip New Jersey’s 7th congressional district next year, begins the cycle with $785,898 in his campaign warchest.
“I am grateful for the outpouring of support we have received since our victory in November into the start of 2025,” Kean said. “This strong quarter is a vote of confidence in our work here at home and in Washington – where we are delivering real results for the families of NJ-07.”
Since his initial campaign against Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-Ringoes) in 2020, Kean has consistently been one of New Jersey’s top fundraisers, able to raise plenty of money for his campaigns even as other Republicans in the state have struggled. (Kean lost that first contest to Malinowski, but unseated him in a 2022 rematch after the district was made redder, and won re-election over Sue Altman in 2024.)
Still, Kean’s first-quarter haul this year stands out; it’s the most money Kean has ever raised in a single quarter outside of the fall of an election year, when donors are typically pouring money into competitive congressional campaigns. Among other things, Kean is now a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, a prestigious posting that may have encouraged some private-sector donors to take notice of the sophomore congressman.
Kean already faces a rapidly growing field of Democratic challengers for 2026. Former Navy helicopter pilot Rebecca Bennett and former Summit Councilman Greg Vartan raised $426,718 and $101,269, respectively, during the early weeks of their campaigns; a third challenger, Brian Varela, entered the race after the filing deadline but says he raised over $153,000 on his first day.
That means that, as is to be expected, Kean starts out with a significant financial advantage over his would-be opponents, especially if Democrats have to wade through a bloody and expensive primary first. But as Kean knows well from his 2024 campaign – the most expensive House race in New Jersey history – a fired-up Democratic donor base could easily close that gap, making his early-cycle fundraising numbers all the more important.