Seeking to break out in NJ-7 primary, Vartan accuses opponents of ‘moving here to run’

Of the four Democratic candidates actively campaigning for New Jersey’s competitive 7th congressional district, former Summit Council President Greg Vartan is the only one who both lives in the district and has done so for more than a couple of years. And he wants voters to know it.

In a new campaign video he’s releasing today, Vartan accuses his opponents – although not by name – of “never [doing] anything for the people they want to represent; they’re literally moving here to run.” Vartan, who grew up in Summit and is the Democratic municipal chairman there, said that while he has respect for his opponents’ choice to run for office, he thinks the Democratic nominee against Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-Westfield) should be someone who has a longer history in the 7th.

“The candidates I’m running against don’t have deep roots in the district,” Vartan said. “One doesn’t even live in the district; another recently moved from D.C.; a third previously launched a bid in another district. I think it’s clear that there’s one candidate, and that’s me, who has deep, lifelong ties here in the district.”

Vartan’s choice to go on the offense is notable, especially in a Democratic primary contest that’s been largely cordial thus far and has focused more on each candidate trying to introduce themselves to an electorate that’s unfamiliar with them. And it raises an interesting question: to what extent will Democratic primary voters see carpetbagging, or at least accusations of carpetbagging, as an issue when it comes to evaluating the candidates before them?

The 7th district’s last Democratic congressman, Tom Malinowski, had his own circuitous path to Congress: he was raised in Princeton just outside the then-boundaries of the 7th district, spent much of his career in Washington at the State Department, and moved back to Rocky Hill to run for Congress. His route has echoes in one of this year’s candidates, Michael Roth, who is originally from Millburn (which was removed from the 7th district during the last redistricting cycle), worked at the Small Business Administration under Joe Biden, and moved to Westfield at the beginning of this year.

“I was born and raised in NJ-07, and after helping deliver funding to 120,000 small businesses and preserve nearly 900,000 jobs in New Jersey, I moved back home – where I now live just minutes from my parents, my grandma, my siblings, and my five beautiful nieces and nephews,” Roth said in response to Vartan. “I’m proud of the work I’ve done nationally to support small businesses and community investment, but this is home. In this moment of deep uncertainty, I believe the best way I can serve is by bringing proven leadership and real results to the community that raised me.”

Another candidate for the 7th district this year, Rebecca Bennett, is originally from Texas, served in the Navy for more than a decade, and settled her family in Montgomery Township – which used to be in the 7th district but was removed during redistricting – in 2019. (Neighboring Rep. Mikie Sherrill, now the Democratic nominee for governor, similarly moved to New Jersey after flying helicopters in the Navy, and lived just outside the boundaries of her own district when she first ran for Congress.)

“Before moving to New Jersey to put down roots and start a family, Rebecca spent over a decade serving her country in the United States Navy,” said Nick Marroletti, Bennett’s campaign manager. “CD-7 residents are responding strongly to her candidacy to defeat Tom Kean Jr. and flip the house next year, and that’s where her focus will remain. Other candidates should follow her lead.”

The race’s final candidate, small business owner and former Forward Party Leader Brian Varela, is a New Jersey native but has spent most of his time on the other side of the state. While living in North Bergen in Hudson County, Varela ran for Congress against now-Rep. Rob Menendez (D-Jersey City) in 2022; the next year, he moved to the Morris County portion of the 7th district.

“I genuinely admire and respect Greg for his commitment to being a public servant,” Varela said. “I believe Greg is running for the right reasons. However, it’s unfortunate to see him try to set the tone of this race to a negative one. I wish Greg the best of luck during this race.”

The race for the 7th district’s Democratic nomination remains very much up in the air, but Vartan does start out as an underdog financially. He raised $101,000 in the first quarter of this year to Bennett’s $427,000; Roth and Varela both entered the race after the filing deadline, but their campaigns announced first-day fundraising hauls of $175,000 and $153,000, respectively.

That puts the pressure on Vartan to find ways of differentiating himself from his opponents, especially since no major ideological divides have yet emerged. The fact that he has a history of running for office and serving his community within the district, he argued, could be what he needs.

“Every primary needs to be about how our campaign is different from the other campaigns,” Vartan said. “I’m the only one who’s from here; I’m the only one who’s been elected, twice, in a competitive city; and I’m the only one who is going to be talking about the issues locally in the district, in a way that somebody who has roots in the district can understand.”