The influential New Jersey State Building & Construction Trades Council is staying on the sidelines in New Jersey’s highly competitive 7th congressional district race, withholding its endorsement two years after backing U.S. Rep. Tom Kean, Jr. (R-Westfield) in one of the nation’s most closely watched House contests.
The loss of the building trades endorsement comes at a challenging moment for Kean, who has been sidelined for more than three months by an undisclosed illness, leaving the two-term congressman absent from the campaign trail and Capitol Hill as Democrats ramp up their efforts to flip the seat in a bid to win a majority in President Donald Trump’s midterm election.
While building trades unions have traditionally aligned with Democrats on labor, infrastructure, and prevailing wage issues, their membership has long been more politically diverse than that of many other organized labor groups. Many rank-and-file construction workers vote Republican, and Trump has enjoyed substantial support among building trades members in New Jersey.
Kean faces Democrat Rebecca Bennett, a former U.S. Navy helicopter pilot, in the general election in a district that Trump won by one percentage point in 2024 and Gov. Mikie Sherrill by two points in 2025.
The union group is also skipping endorsements in two districts that have nominated staunchly progressive Democrats: Rep. Analilia Mejia (D-Glen Ridge) in the 11th against Republican Joe Hathaway, a Randolph councilman, and Dr. Adam Hamawy, who won the primary earlier this month in a safe blue district.
The Building Trades are also staying out of the 2nd district, where Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-Dennis) is seeking a fifth term against Democrat Zachary Mullock, the mayor of Cape May. The group backed Van Drew two years ago.
Rep. Christopher Smith (R-Manchester), a congressman since 1981, was the lone Republican to get the building trades endorsement. The organization has been a longtime supporter of Smith.
Endorsements went to U.S. Senator Cory Booker and Reps. Donald Norcross (D-Camden), Herb Conaway, Jr. (D-Delran), Josh Gottheimer (D-Tenafly), Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-Long Branch), Rob Menendez (D-Jersey City), and Nellie Pou (D-North Haledon).
The building trades have also declined to back Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-Newark), who is in one of the most solidly Democratic districts in the nation. The group skipped McIver in 2024.
“As a Building Trades we must endorse our own slate of candidates and not beholden to any particular political party,” said Bill Mullen, the council president. “We believe it’s critical to support candidates who value unity over division, and who see that the building trades are not partisan talking points. We differ from the rest of organized labor as our members live in a competitive world, we are a foundation for a strong, inclusive economy.”
Mullen said the candidates “recognize the importance of investing in critical infrastructure, expanding responsible energy development, supporting emerging industries such as data centers, and advancing economic growth that creates high-quality union building trades careers.”
“Our members want public officials who support fair wages, infrastructure investment, project labor agreements, and real pathways to the middle class through union apprenticeship and training,” stated Mullen. “These candidates have shown they are ready to stand with us.” We look forward to working in partnership with them to continue moving New Jersey forward — because at the end of the day, all we do is build.”
New Jersey State Building & Construction Trades Council is an umbrella labor group that represents over 150,000 construction workers through 15 affiliated trade unions, including electricians, carpenters, laborers, operating engineers, ironworkers, and other skilled trades.
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