Malinowski leads by 4,716 as Kean picks up 130 votes

The race for Congress in New Jersey’s 7th district is narrowed to a 4,716-vote lead for Democratic incumbent Tom Malinowski after Republican Thomas Kean, Jr. added more 130 votes in Union County on Monday.

Malinowski is now ahead, 212,143 to 207,427, 50.6% to 49.4%, after the 2,278 new Union County votes were added to the count.

Kean, has closed the gap a little since this morning, when Malinowski’s lead was 4,969 votes.

But the New Jersey Senate Minority Leader won the latest Union County vote with 52.6%, less than where he needed to be to significantly shift the vote in his direction.

Malinowski who unseated five-term Rep. Leonard Lance (R-Clinton Township) in 2018, was in front of Kean by 28,412 votes on election night.

The 7th district had been held by Republicans from 1956 until Malinowski ousted Lance two years ago by 16,200 votes, 51.7% to 46.7%.