With both a Democratic primary foe and a mysterious super PAC now airing ads attacking her, 7th district candidate Rebecca Bennett is hitting the airwaves to fight back.
“MAGA is spending big, spreading lies about Rebecca Bennett because they know she’s the only Democrat who can stop Donald Trump,” a new digital and TV ad from Bennett’s campaign declares.
Last week, a brand-new group called Real Change PAC suddenly dropped more than $575,000 on ads and mailers claiming Bennett is insufficiently progressive and encouraging primary voters to instead support two of her opponents, Tina Shah and Brian Varela. The PAC was formed on May 11 with a Nebraska address and won’t have to report its donors until after the June 2 primary, so its reasons for getting involved in the race remain unknown.
There’s substantial reason to believe, though, that the PAC is a front for the GOP, which has cobbled together several independent expenditure groups to spend in Democratic primaries around the country and hobble would-be frontrunners. The footage used in the ad was previously promoted by a top Republican super PAC, and the consulting firm paid by the PAC shares an address with the firm utilized by a different meddling PAC, Lead Left PAC, that has been more conclusively linked to the GOP.
(Bennett’s new ad cites a New York Times story about Lead Left PAC – “Mysterious Meddling in Democratic Primaries Has G.O.P. Fingerprints – though that story came out before Real Change PAC started spending money against Bennett.)
Shah, meanwhile, is putting out ads and mailers of her own that attack Bennett for her past GOP party registration and donations she’s taken from Palantir employees. Bennett’s new ad doesn’t mention Shah by name, but it does implicitly push back on Shah’s attacks: “Truth is, Rebecca has always opposed Trump and his agenda,” the ad declares.
Both anti-Bennett ad campaigns have drawn blowback from many New Jersey Democrats, even those who have not taken sides in the race. Former Rep. Tom Malinowski, who represented the 7th district from 2019 to 2023, called Shah’s attack ads “disqualifying”; Rep. Frank Pallone (D-Long Branch), the longtime congressman from a neighboring district, said Real Change PAC’s spending is a sign that the GOP is afraid of Bennett.
“If Republicans are trying this hard to stop Rebecca Bennett now, it tells you everything you need to know,” Pallone said.
Bennett is generally regarded as the favorite to win the Democratic nomination against Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-Westfield), having raised more money and earned more endorsements than any of her three Democratic primary opponents. Her endorsements from four of the 7th district’s six county party organizations, in fact, make an appearance at the end of today’s ad.
Script
Narrator: “MAGA is spending big, spreading lies about Rebecca Bennett because they know she’s the only Democrat who can stop Donald Trump. Truth is, Rebecca has always opposed Trump and his agenda. She served her country and community as a Navy helicopter pilot, aircraft commander, a healthcare leader, and a mom. In Congress, she’ll stop Trump and ICE.”
Bennett: “I’m Rebecca Bennett. I fought for and protected our country before. I’m ready to do it again. That’s why I approve this message.”