Tom Kean Jr. will get a second bite at the apple in NJ-07 after falling a mere 4,000 votes short of a House seat in 2020.
With 25% of the vote tabulated in the Central Jersey district, the former N.J. GOP Senate leader boasted slightly more than 50% of the vote while competitors Phil Rizzo (18%) and Assemblyman Erik Peterson (18%) sparred for second place.
Kean’s county-by-county margins (e.g. 55% in Morris) are dispositive for a multi-candidate field; it’s mathematically close-to-impossible for either Rizzo or Peterson to find enough votes elsewhere to make up the distance.
Whether Kean finishes ahead of 50% – and who’s number two when the dust settles – appear to be the only questions still outstanding.
Malinowski is considered one of the nation’s most vulnerable Democrats. Hobbled by an ongoing ethics probe and unforced gaffes, the two-term incumbent’s district grew less Democratic in the recent redistricting process.
