I noted at the end of last month that national Democrats hadn’t (at least at that point) invested much cash in the Garden State’s only highly-competitive congressional district, NJ-07.
The Central Jersey district represented by freshman Republican incumbent Tom Kean Jr. was carried by Joe Biden in its current post-redistrict configuration in 2020, making it one of only 18 in the country that supported Biden but elected a GOP representative in 2022. In the interim, Jack Ciattarelli decisively carried the district in 2021.
Late Tuesday, The Cook Political Report officially changed its NJ-07 race rating from a “Toss Up” race to a “Lean Republican,” contest, a sign that the district may be slipping away and, with it, Democrat hopes of flipping the narrowly-controlled Republican House of Representatives.
Altman’s own leaked internals show her behind 2-points (47% to 45%). Let me tell you, Save Jerseyans: a campaign doesn’t leak an internal poll showing an allegedly close race if said campaign is really within striking distance. What they’ve done is hired a firm to try and project the image of a good investment opportunity to donors and national committees.
NJ-07 Republicans have also continued to gain ground in voter registration reflecting the national trend. In September, Republicans gained 753 registrants to Democrats’ 605 for another slight month-over-month net gain.
Republicans see victory in sight.
“Plain and simple: Radical Sue Altman is too extreme for the Garden State, and voters want nothing to do with her,” said Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF) Regional Press Secretary Maureen O’Toole. CLF is the country’s premiere Republican third-party funding source for congressional campaigns.
