Dem
51
GOP
49
NJ-07 is one of the swingiest congressional districts in the country. The PVI is R+1, making it one of only 13 R+1 or D+1 districts in the country. Along with the seven EVEN districts, these are the 20 most competitive districts in the country. Seven districts are represented by Republicans and 13 are represented by Democrats, so Democrats are mostly playing defense. However, NJ-07 is represented by Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-NJ), son of the former governor, and a top Democratic target. The district runs north from Lambertville to Old Dingmans Road and from the Delaware River east to Dover, in Northwest New Jersey. It is the most competitive district in the state and will get a lot of attention from both parties. It might even end up being more expensive than the U.S. Senate race because that merely determines which Democrat gets to sit in the Senate. The House race could flip a seat and potentially the whole chamber.
Four Democrats filed to challenge Kean. It looked like a nasty primary was going to happen. Then two of the four dropped out. Now a third one, Jason Blazakis, has also dropped out. This leaves only one Democrat, Sue Altman, in the race, so there will be no primary to distract her, and Altman and Kean can start going after each other right now. The elimination of a possibly nasty and expensive primary increases the chances that Altman can unseat Kean, especially if there is a blue wave. Here are the general-election candidates.
Altman played college basketball at Columbia University. After graduating, she got two graduate degrees at Oxford. Then she came back home and became a teacher in Hunterdon County. She crossed swords with then-governor Chris Christie over fair funding for New Jersey public school students and protecting teachers. For the past 7 years, she has been the executive director of the Working Families Alliance, a nonprofit fighting corruption in Trenton. Now she is trying her hand at politics for the first time. (V)