Rebecca Bennett has won the hotly contested Democratic primary in New Jersey’s closely watched 7th Congressional District, and Dr. Adam Hamawy bested a field of 12 other Democrats to win the congressional primary in the 12th District.
Bennett, an ex-Navy helicopter pilot, healthcare executive and mom of two daughters, will now take on embattled incumbent Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. in what political observers have called one of the key races in the upcoming midterm elections. Both parties have their eyes on winning control of the House for the remaining two years of President Donald Trump’s term.
The Associated Press called the race for Bennett just before 9 p.m. Tuesday as polling results showed her with a commanding 47% of the vote. At the time of publication, Bennett was leading her next closest competitor — Dr. Tina Shah — by nearly 8,000 votes.
“I got into this race 16 months ago to fight for the version of the country we are going to leave for my daughters and our next generation, and because Washington is failing our communities,” Bennett said in a written statement after her primary victory was confirmed. “Tonight, I’m honored to be the Democratic nominee to flip this critical seat, and I could not be more grateful for the coalition we have built to win this primary and put us in the best position to win in November. But the real work starts now.”
In New Jersey’s 12th district, the Associated Press called the race for Hamawy with just over 27% of the vote. The candidate ran far to the left of his competitors in the crowded race of 12 other Democrats, including East Brunswick Mayor Brad Cohen, Sue Altman, the former head of the New Jersey Working Families Party, and New Jersey State Representative Verlina Reynolds-Jackson.
Hamawy was born in Egypt and moved to New Jersey as an infant. Two years ago, he spoke to Gothamist while trapped in Gaza. Throughout his campaign, Hamawy, who has never run for office before, called Israel’s war in Gaza a “genocide.”
Hamawy has also backed progressive policy ideas like Medicare for all, which helped him earn Sen. Bernie Sanders’ endorsement. Hamawy also says he’s for abolishing Donald Trump’s ICE agency and ending the war in Iran.
Speaking to a room of supporters late Tuesday night, Hamawy focused on the lack of affordable medical care.
"As a doctor I see my patients struggling in the richest country in the history of the world just to be able to able to afford their healthcare," Hamawy said. "I met people everyday drowning in medical debt because the billionaires and insurance companies decided that we need to make profits over taking care of the sick."
The 12th District should be an easy one for Democrats to hold onto. Current Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, who is retiring, has held onto the seat for the past 11 years. In her most recent elections, Watson Coleman won with over 63% of the vote.
Republican seat in play
The focus now shifts to November and the race between Bennett and Kean, who cruised to victory in an uncontested Republican primary.
For the past two months, Kean has been sidelined with a mysterious illness that has kept him away from Washington — as well as off the campaign trail. Kean and his team have not divulged the details of his illness, which has caused the congressmember to miss at least 100 votes on Capitol Hill.
On Tuesday, Kean posted a statement on X saying he would return to work soon and disclose more details about his illness.
“I am more energized than ever to keep fighting for the people of New Jersey’s 7th District. Right now I am focused on my recovery and under the advice of healthcare professionals, I will transition from virtual work to in person work within a matter of weeks,” Kean said. “At that time I will be completely transparent as to the nature of my medical condition. Once again, I appreciate all of the prayers and patience from my constituents and colleagues. I understand the need for transparency on this matter and I look forward to sharing my experience with the public.”
New Jersey’s 7th District includes towns on the eastern edge of the state just south of Newark and stretches west to more rural areas. Republicans hold about a 3% registration advantage over Democrats in the district. But the seat has been on Democrats’ radar ever since President Donald Trump only carried it by about 2% in 2024. The following year, Gov. Mikie Sherrill flipped the district from red to blue — winning it by about 1%. Recently, the Cook Political Report changed its projection for the district from ‘lean R’ to ‘toss up.’
Bennett’s victory on Tuesday will come as no surprise to political observers who pegged her as the front-runner throughout the campaign, citing her consistent fundraising advantage over her competitors.
Bennett, 37, and her family moved to New Jersey about seven years ago from Texas. She spent 15 years in the military, serving as an officer in the Air National Guard and as a U.S. Navy helicopter pilot, much like Sherrill, who resoundingly won last year’s gubernatorial race by more than 14 points over her Republican opponent.
Since retiring from military service in 2019, Bennett has built a career in healthcare strategy. Most recently, she was the Vice President of Strategic Partnerships & Network Operations at Oshi Health, a digital healthcare startup, before launching her campaign last year.
Bennett immediately sought to define herself against Kean’s conservative record after clinching the Democratic nomination.
“The difference between the two of us could not be clearer: I spent 15 years serving our country in uniform as a Navy helicopter pilot where I swore an oath to protect and defend the constitution, while Tom Kean, Jr. has sworn an oath to Donald Trump and his D.C. party bosses who are jacking up costs and ripping away access to health care,” Bennett said in her statement.
Trailing Bennett in second place was Dr. Tina Shah. She’s the daughter of Indian immigrants and currently works as an ICU doctor at RWJBarnabas Health. She’s also served in Washington in the past as an advisor at the U.S. Surgeon General’s Office and the Department of Veteran Affairs.
The primary campaign was dominated by issues of affordability, the Trump administration’s planned immigration detention center in the district, and Kean’s mysterious absence.
Bennett faced questions from her competitors over her past as a registered Republican while living in Texas. In response, she said that she only registered as a Republican because she grew up in a conservative family. But she said she was compelled to switch parties after Donald Trump ran and was first elected in 2016.
If elected, Bennett says she would back legislation that caps childcare costs at 7% of a family’s income. She has proposed undoing Trump’s tax cuts to the most wealthy Americans to pay for it. On healthcare, she’s called for reversing Trump’s drastic cuts to Medicaid. She also campaigned on lowering energy costs by creating a separate rate class for large data centers.
Other Democratic candidates tried to run to the left of the more moderate Bennett. Brian Varela, an entrepreneur who opened a chain of childcare centers, campaigned on passing Medicare for all and capping childcare costs at $10 per day, which he said he would pay for by raising taxes on individuals making more than $50 million annually.
Another candidate, Michael Roth, touted his experience working at the Biden administration to undo policies from Trump’s first term that excluded immigrant small business owners from getting funding during the pandemic.
Roth was also the only candidate in the race who criticized Kean for his protracted public absence, noting the congressmember was still bringing in large amounts of fundraising dollars while missing votes in Washington.
In the weeks leading up to the primary election, Bennett took her own shots at Kean during a primary debate in early May, saying that Republicans “know I'm going to kick his ass.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
