Vartan files to run for 7th congressional district

Summit Council President Greg Vartan has filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to run for Congress in New Jersey’s 7th congressional district, a Republican-held district that ranks among the nation’s most competitive.

Vartan did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In September, Vartan told the New Jersey Globe that he was interested in a possible congressional run, but that he planned to wait until after the 2023 state-level elections – which happened on Tuesday – to make a decision.

Vartan’s entry to the race would put him on a collision course with two other Democratic candidates, former New Jersey Working Families Party director Sue Altman and former U.S. State Department official Jason Blazakis. Both have been running for the 7th district Democratic nomination for months, and both have already accumulated hundreds of thousands of dollars.

That means Vartan will have quite a bit of catching up to do in the next several months before county convention season begins in February. Vartan does have one big advantage over his opponents, though: he’s from Union County, which makes up fully one-third of the 7th district’s Democratic primary vote. If Union Democrats choose to support his campaign and give him the county line, that would go a long way.

Should Vartan win the primary, he’d go up against Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-Westfield), who unseated Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-Ringoes) by three percentage points last year.

Vartan’s own local Democrats in Summit had a rough election night on Tuesday. Republican Elizabeth Fagan flipped the mayor’s office and Republicans won a 5-2 majority on the Summit Common Council, likely meaning Vartan’s days as council president are numbered.