Malinowski says he’s undecided about re-election after redistricting curveball

One day after a Democratic map gave put him in a new district that heavily favors Republicans, Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-Ringoes) says he has not decided if he’ll seek re-election to a third term next year.

“I’m also incredibly moved by the messages of support we’re getting from so many folks in my current and new district,” Malinowski said in a tweet.  “We will make our judgements with the people who got me here in mind and in the loop.”

Malinowski’s new district shifts from one President Joe Biden won by 10 points to one he carried by four.  Malinowski loses towns her carried solidly in 2020 – Millburn, Dover, Union Township, Cranford and Montgomery – and picks up the rest of Warren County and nine municipalities in Sussex.

“The NJ redistricting gods haven’t made it easy for us, but I’ve only ever won hard races, and my likely opponent has only ever lost them – — good reason,” said Malinowski, who took a swipe at the leading Republican candidate, Senate Minority Leader Thomas H. Kean, Jr.

Malinowski defeated Kean in the last election by one percentage point to secure a second term for a seat he flipped in the 2018 mid-term elections.

Over the last year, Malinowski has faced allegations that he failed to properly disclose his stock transactions.  The House Ethics Committee is continuing to review the trades after the Office of the Congressional Ethics found that there “substantial reason” to believe Malinowski failed to properly them.

In March of this year, a Business Insider investigation found that Malinowski had failed to disclose dozens of stock trades he made in 2020. Malinowski said that his broker made the trades, and he had no knowledge of what they entailed; he’s since put his stocks into a blind trust.

Nevertheless, the case was sent to the Office of Congressional Ethics, which then moved it forward to the House Ethics Committee. The committee announced last month that they would provide an update on Malinowski’s case by no later than today; they could have formally sanctioned Malinowski or exonerated him, but instead chose to continue the investigation.

Until he makes his decision, which must come before the filing deadline in April, Malinowski said it will be full steam ahead on his congressional agenda. 

“Meanwhile, I will continue to fight to defend our democracy and deliver for New Jersey the infrastructure, tax relief, and progress DC Republicans oppose,” he said.  “I’m at my best with nothing to lose.”