Vartan drops out of NJ-7 primary

Former Summit Councilman Greg Vartan is ending his campaign in New Jersey’s 7th congressional district, the first winnowing of the district’s packed Democratic field.

Vartan, who was one of nine Democrats running to beat Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-Westfield), said that he’ll instead shift into a new role within the Union County Democratic organization, coordinating the county party’s endorsement process among the remaining 7th district candidates.

“I was born and raised in this district, and my life has been about giving back to the community that shaped me,” Vartan said in a statement. “I’ve dedicated myself to supporting my neighbors in Summit and right now, the best thing I can do for Summit is to help Democrats flip NJ-7 and bring us the representation we deserve in Washington. That starts with running a fair endorsement process that empowers Democratic voters and ensures we put our best candidate forward.”

This year’s campaign was Vartan’s second attempt at flipping the 7th district, a highly competitive seat that’s key to Democratic efforts to win back the House majority next year. His 2024 campaign, though, lasted only a few months; by the time he got into the race, many Democrats had already lined up behind eventual nominee Sue Altman, and he found himself boxed out.

Altman lost her race against Kean, and at the beginning of this year, Vartan announced that he would run for the seat once again. He said at the time that, by getting in the race so early, he planned to barnstorm the district and make a case for himself in a way he couldn’t in 2024: “The goal is to connect with people one-on-one … and prove to the people of the district, in as small a group or as big a group as I can, that I am the right person for this job.”

But his second effort was hampered by many of the same issues that befell his first: difficulty raising money and drawing attention in a field full of other big names with state and national connections. As of the most recent filing deadline, Vartan had raised a little under $200,000, while some of his opponents had already crossed the $1 million mark.

With Vartan out of the race, eight other Democrats are still in the hunt for the 7th district’s nomination, and Senate President Nick Scutari (D-Clark), the Union County Democratic chairman, said Vartan would play a key role in deciding what his county party will do. (The party endorsement will be decided by the district’s municipal chairs, Vartan among them.)

“Our shared commitment to all Union County Democrats is to endorse the strongest possible candidate to take on Congressman Kean and win this seat back in 2026,” Scutari said. “I’m grateful Greg has stepped up to help coordinate this process alongside our municipal chairs and staff.”