Roth wins straw poll of Summit municipal Dems

Members of the Summit Democratic municipal committee held a straw poll in the race for New Jersey’s 7th congressional district this week, and Michael Roth, a former Biden administration official who now lives in nearby Westfield, emerged as the winner.

Roth got 21 of the committee’s 40 votes, or 53%, while Rebecca Bennett got 15 and Megan O’Rourke got four. Three other Democrats competing for the nomination to unseat Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-Westfield) received no votes.

“This is another big step in momentum for our campaign,” Roth said in a statement. “We earned the support of committee members in Summit the same way we’re going to win the election – powered by people and our shared values.”

The straw poll, however, does not necessarily guarantee Summit’s vote when Union County Democrats award their 7th district endorsement (a meeting that has yet to be scheduled). Under Union Democrats’ rules, the endorsement will be awarded via a vote of the 12 Democratic municipal chairs from the district; Summit Democratic Chair Greg Vartan, himself a former 7th district candidate, is in charge of running the endorsement process.

Roth also has endorsements from former Summit Mayor Nora Radest, the most recent Democrat to lead the town, and Summit Council President Claire Toth.