Somerset County Commissioner Sara Sooy (D-Bedminster)’s short-lived campaign for New Jersey’s 7th congressional district has come to an end, and she’s immediately endorsing one of her former rivals, Rebecca Bennett, for the seat in her stead.
Sooy’s entrance to the race in November came as something of a surprise, since the Democratic field to take on Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-Westfield) had been underway for months, with several well-funded candidates already in the race. But given Sooy’s deep political ties in Somerset County, the district’s second-largest county, it seemed for a time that she had the potential to substantially reshape the playing field and possibly win the district’s Democratic nomination.
In a statement today, Sooy said that she did not want to prolong the district’s Democratic primary and give more time for Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-Westfield) to build up an advantage; she said that Bennett, a former Navy helicopter pilot, is a “proven patriot” who has earned her support.
“If multiple Democrats continue to run, we would waste millions of dollars fighting one another, money better spent defeating Congressman Kean and protecting our democratic values,” Sooy said. “This is not the time for ego or infighting. It’s time for focus, discipline, and shared purpose.”
Bennett was already one of the Democratic primary’s frontrunners before today, and Sooy’s endorsement should buoy her further – especially in Somerset County, where Sooy likely would have had the inside track for county party support.
After beginning her career on her local school board, the 33-year-old Sooy was first elected to what was then called the Somerset County Board of Freeholders in 2018, flipping a longtime Republican seat blue. She and her running mate, Shanel Robinson, were the first Democrats to win seats on the board since 1979; Robinson is now waging a congressional bid of her own in the neighboring 12th district.
When she launched her campaign for the 7th district in November, Sooy argued that her history of winning tough elections – she was one of only two Democrats in the race who had won an election before – and representing Somerset County’s communities made her the right choice for Congress. But it’s not clear whether that message caught on outside her own orbit in Somerset County; fundraising reports, due this weekend, will shed some light on that.
With Sooy out of the race, seven Democrats remain in the fight to flip the 7th district, a perennially competitive seat that narrowly voted for Donald Trump in 2024 and Mikie Sherrill in 2025. Three of those Democrats – Bennett, physician Tina Shah, and businessman Brian Varela – have raised more than $1 million and are seen as the likeliest to win the nomination.
Sooy said that while her own campaign may be over, she intends to remain involved in Bennett’s efforts to win the seat.
“Flipping seats is what I do best, and I will work side by side with Rebecca to win NJ-7 and restore principled leadership to Washington,” she said.
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