Continuing his streak as one of New Jersey’s most consistently strong fundraisers, swing-district Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-Westfield) raised $577,707 in the first three months of 2024, and began April with a towering $2.4 million warchest.
“The trust and confidence from my constituents in our campaign is humbling,” Kean said in a statement. “They know I am focused on addressing critical issues like immigration, fiscal responsibility, supporting our allies in Ukraine and Israel, and effective governance. The significance of this race in New Jersey’s 7th congressional district cannot be overstated. I am thankful for the unwavering belief by our supporters, whose dedication fuels our campaign’s momentum and mission.”
While Kean’s fundraising quarter was formidable, though, it fell just short of the haul raised by his Democratic opponent in the 7th congressional district, Sue Altman. Altman raised over $580,000 in the 1st quarter of 2024; it’s the first time Kean has been outraised by Democrats since he defeated Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-Ringoes) in 2022.
However, Altman has $910,000 cash on-hand – less than half of what Kean, who’s raised $3.3 million since taking office last year, has stockpiled away.
With the Kean-versus-Altman general election matchup all but official (Altman has no primary opponents, while Kean is facing one perennial candidate in the GOP primary), the money is likely to continue rolling in unabated for each candidate. Both parties view the 7th district as by far the most competitive district in New Jersey this year, and as one of the most important districts anywhere in the country for determining control of the House.
In the 2022 contest between Kean and Malinowski, the two candidates spent $13.5 million combined – and that’s not counting the $8.5 million that was spent by independent expenditure groups, which often play an outsized role in competitive districts like the 7th.
Most of the outside spending came from Republican groups, with major Democratic groups largely abandoning Malinowski (who ended up losing by just under three percentage points) as a lost cause. If Democratic PACs choose to get more involved this year, spending could balloon even further than the tens of millions seen in 2022.