Sue Altman for Congress

This district deserves someone who will fight for our Jersey values in Washington and show up when it matters most. I have a  track record of speaking truth to power. We need honest, fearless representation and a new generation of visionary and pragmatic leadership – and that’s why I’m running for Congress.

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Sue isn’t afraid to fight for New Jerseyans. Sue has challenged powerful political insiders – even within her own party – to protect public education, save taxpayer money, and strengthen our democracy.&nbsp;

<h2>Sue proudly hails from New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District.</h2><img src="https://run.imgix.net/c407f255-d1ca-4d5d-93b4-672b17826677/a2083fc6-1460-4b83-ab81-0aa66cb28caf/a2083fc6-1460-4b83-ab81-0aa66cb28caf.jpeg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&amp;bri=0&amp;con=0&amp;sat=0&amp;high=0&amp;shad=0&amp;usm=0&amp;rect=148%2C136%2C725%2C572&amp;w=1500" alt="" caption="" align="right" alignwidth="40" variant="framed">She grew up in Clinton, attended Clinton Public School and Voorhees High School, and calls Hunterdon County home. After playing college and professional basketball, Sue became a teacher and successful basketball coach in Warren County, leading two teams to championships.As a longtime advocate, Sue became a leader in the movement for New Jersey’s public education when she stood up to then-Governor Chris Christie in order to protect teachers and fight against cuts to our public schools.&nbsp;<h2>As Executive Director of the New Jersey Working Families Alliance, she spent years fighting corruption and the waste of taxpayer dollars in Trenton – taking on both parties to put working families ahead of partisan politics.&nbsp;</h2>Most notably, Sue led a coalition of unions, advocates, and community members to shed light on a $1 billion corporate tax incentive program in Camden that, instead of creating good jobs for working people, lined the pockets of politically connected corporate leaders – a program which resulted in a criminal investigation, a multi-million dollar penalty, and the recent indictments of South Jersey Democratic party bosses.&nbsp;

Sue has been in the fight for a better New Jersey for her whole life -- and she's ready to take it to Washington. From attacks on our fundamental rights to rising costs and unfair tax burdens, Sue is committed to bringing common-sense solutions to the communities that raised her and that she's proud to call home.

<h3>Fighting for Our Community</h3>These are some of the top issues our campaign is focused on. Learn more about our issues <a href="/issues" target="" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">here</a>.

Sue's Top Priorities

Sue has dedicated her career to rooting out political corruption in New Jersey in order to protect New Jersey’s taxpayers and our democracy – and she’s ready to take that work to Washington. Sue has pledged to never accept any donations from corporate PACs.

Write a short blurb about an issue your campaign is highlighting. Try to keep the text a similar size between the various issue blurbs.

Anti-Corruption

With conservative extremists decimating reproductive rights, Sue will work to protect access to contraception, reproductive choice, and women’s health. As an advocate, Sue worked with grassroots groups to protect this right here in NJ.&nbsp;

Women’s Rights and Abortion

Everything is too expensive! From groceries to housing to insurance and&nbsp;fuel, families are seeing more and more of their hard earned paycheck drain away each month. Sue has a long record of working hard for everyday people and will fight in Congress to spur competition in our economy, restore the SALT deduction so New Jerseyans are not double-taxed, fight for a livable wage for all workers, and ensure that homes are bought by humans, not corporations. Our district and our state must&nbsp;be a place where families can thrive, young people can find homes, and seniors can retire.&nbsp;

Affordability

As our Congresswoman, Sue will fight for common-sense gun reforms to keep our schools, places of worship, and communities safe.&nbsp;She’ll work to give law enforcement the tools they need to get weapons of war out of our communities. She will work to ensure those responsible for crimes of hate are held accountable, investments are made into upstream causes of crime, our local police are fully funded to keep our communities safe, and white collar and political corruption crimes are investigated by law enforcement, and that those professionals have the funds they need to hold the powerful accountable by the law.&nbsp;

Public Safety

Environmental change is an existential threat to our communities and wildlife. From farmers grappling with changing weather patterns to our towns experiencing costly and life-threatening flooding, it’s clear that we need bold action.&nbsp;Sue will address our environmental&nbsp;crises at multiple levels, as well as work with our communities to ensure they have the resources they need to address immediate threats to our towns. Sue also knows that our district&nbsp;includes some of the last remaining beautiful open space in New Jersey, and she’ll work in Congress to protect our rural communities and natural environment&nbsp;from short-sighted, environmentally unsustainable overdevelopment and warehouse sprawl.

Protecting New Jersey's Natural Environment

Over the last 50 years, the pay and benefits for workers has decreased. This was caused in part by systematic de-unionization and de-industrialization and the loss of buying power for everyday people while corporate and CEO pay soared. Sue supports the right of workers to organize and the PRO Act. She also recognizes the exportation of good paying jobs to low wage countries harms working families here, and benefits almost no one other than multinational corporations. Sue understands that if we are going to support working families, we need to bring manufacturing, unions, fair wages, and job security back to New Jersey.

Workers' Rights &amp; Unions

Sue has long advocated for the taxpayer in New Jersey - often&nbsp;against her own party. Whether it was fighting against New Jersey's "corruption tax", pushing accountability for a bipartisan corporate tax giveaway program in Camden&nbsp;that fleeced hard working New Jerseyans out of a billion dollars, or&nbsp;her commitment to repealing the unfair and punitive Trump-era SALT deduction cap, Sue will always fight for fair&nbsp;taxes and smart, efficient use of our taxpayer money.&nbsp;

Lower Taxes for Jersey Families

Extremists are attacking our democracy every day, from their support of the insurrection on January 6th to attempts to undermine voting rights across the country. As she did for years in Trenton, Sue will advocate for legislation at the federal level to make voting accessible to all who are eligible.&nbsp;

Democracy

Right now, House Republicans are attempting to gut Medicare and Social Security. As our Congresswoman, Sue will always protect these critical programs and fight any attempts to make seniors foot the bill for tax cuts for megacorporations and the ultra-wealthy.

Medicare and Social Security

As a former educator, the fight for our schools is personal for Sue – and that’s why she’s committed to fighting against book banning and for investing in our public schools and working to ensure that every child in America gets the kind of high-quality education that they deserve.

Public Education

Our kids are struggling – and Congress needs to help this generation of young people. From fighting for funding for services to decreasing the stigma around mental health issues, Sue will prioritize this crisis as your Congresswoman.

Youth Mental Health

Sue is running in a seat that "has been identified as a key target of Democrats hoping to regain control of the House" according to the New York Times.

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<h2>Now, she’s running for Congress to take this same fight to Washington in order to lower costs for working families, secure New Jerseyans’ reproductive rights and fundamental freedoms, fight corruption on both sides of the aisle, and keep our communities safe.</h2>

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Instead of fighting corruption, they’re threatening our democracy and peddling conspiracy theories. Instead of protecting our hard-earned freedoms, they’re decimating reproductive rights. Instead of making New Jersey more affordable, they’re wasting time, leading the least productive Congress in history. This district deserves someone who will fight for our Jersey values in Washington and show up when it matters most. I have a&nbsp; track record of speaking truth to power. We need honest, fearless representation and a new generation of visionary and pragmatic leadership – and that’s why I’m running for Congress.

So much is happening right now. Write a couple lines to get your readers excited for it.

Latest Campaign Developments

Women and girls in sports have bigger things to worry about than transgender athletes, Democrat Sue Altman is reminding voters.The candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in New Jersey's 7th District touched on the topic of trans inclusion in sports at a Thursday town hall in Phillipsburg. As a former basketball player for Columbia University, Altman said that she is supportive of “our trans brothers and sisters” playing on teams that align with their gender identities."If we decide as a society that making rules about who is and who isn’t female is more important than giving young children a chance to be on teams and compete and to be part of something bigger than themselves, especially young people who are more susceptible to suicide and bullying, then I think we’ve lost our way a little bit," Altman said, via the New York Post.

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Altman perfectly defends trans athletes

On Friday morning, the National Republican Campaign Committee shared an audio clip on X that appeared to depict Sue Altman, the Democratic candidate challenging Rep. Tom Kean (R-NJ) in New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District, endorsing antisemitic campus protests at Columbia University.But the full clip tells a very different story, in which Altman clearly condemned the protests as antisemitic and unacceptable.The post is the latest of Republicans’ efforts to portray Altman, a longtime progressive activist who led the Working Families Party in New Jersey, as too radical to represent the New Jersey swing district — a line of attack that has sometimes focused on questions about Altman’s record on Israel.

Town hall clip tells opposite story from NRCC vid

Sue Altman, the Democratic nominee for New Jersey’s hyper-competitive 7th congressional district, has had another gangbusters fundraising quarter, raising more than $2.1 million between July 1 and September 30.The whopping total brings Altman into the upper echelons of the strongest House fundraisers in New Jersey history – the record still belongs to Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-Montclair), who raised $2.8 million from donors in a single quarter in 2018 – and means that Altman will have lots of cash to spend in her bid to unseat first-term Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-Westfield).“The numbers speak for themselves – thanks to the support of the thousands of people who know NJ-07 deserves better than Tom Kean, Jr., this campaign has the momentum and resources it needs to sprint all the way through Election Day, and we’re not going to slow down anytime soon,” Rob West, Altman’s campaign manager, said in a statement.

Altman raises whopping $2.1 million in 3 months

This morning, Sue Altman released a new ad in the hypercompetitive Cook Political Report Toss-Up race for New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District.The ad showcases law enforcement leaders who have decided to back Altman over incumbent Republican Congressman Tom Kean, Jr. – including Somerset County Sheriff Darrin Russo and Union County Sheriff Peter Corvelli – representing the two largest counties of NJ-07.Rejecting Tom Kean, Jr.’s “dishonest attacks and lies,” these law enforcement leaders support Altman’s vision for comprehensive public safety – which includes fully funding police departments so they can invest in the training, recruitment, and equipment they need, standing against the rise of hate crimes and holding perpetrators accountable, and getting dangerous firearms off our streets to keep our communities safe.Voters have the opportunity for new leadership they can trust and be proud of with Sue as their next Congresswoman.

CD-7 Sheriffs Back Sue Altman in New Ad

Democrat Sue Altman began airing a new broadcast and cable TV ad this morning using three career law enforcement officials to validate her support of law enforcement after four police unions endorsed the Republican incumbent, Rep. Tom Kean, Jr. (R-Westfield) in New Jersey’s 7th district.In “Seen it All,” Altman uses two county sheriffs – both Democrats – and a relative who is a retired police detective on Long Island – to deliver a contrast with Kean and burnish her pro-police credentials.&nbsp;&nbsp; The ad notes that Altman’s grandfather and uncle were police officers – and uses a photo of her as a young child with a police officer, pointing out: “That’s Sue.”

Altman ad presents support from law enforcement

The Service Employees International Union New Jersey State Council has endorsed Andy Kim for the U.S. Senate and nine Democratic candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives, including challenger Sue Altman in the 7th district.The labor union is backing six incumbent Democrats for re-election: Donald Norcross (D-Camden), Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-Long Branch), Robert Menendez (D-Jersey City), LaMonica McIver (D-Newark), Mikie Sherrill (D-Montclair), and Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Ewing).

SEIU backs nine Democrats for House

Sue Altman has a simple message as fall arrives and Election Day nears: “I’m here.”Being accessible to voters and the press typically isn’t enough to stand apart in a tight congressional race like the one she’s in with Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-Westfield). But Altman hopes her criticisms of Kean — that he gives too few interviews to journalists and is too unwilling to be in the public eye — will further differentiate her from the Republican.Altman, who hosted a town hall in Warren County’s Phillipsburg on Thursday night, jabbed Kean for a video in which the congressman refused to answer questions from an NJ Spotlight reporter. The Democrat used these points to double down on an argument she made in her&nbsp;first town hall: that Kean lacks “political courage.”“He’s either deeply uncomfortable with a cognitive dissonance he’s holding in his brain about the job he has, or he doesn’t want the job, or he just cannot defend his positions,” Altman told the Globe after the town hall. “And either one of those is pretty upsetting.”

Altman jabs at Kean in third town hall

Today, the Congressional Black Caucus PAC endorsed Sue Altman in her race for New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District, where she is locked in a hyper-competitive Cook Political Report Toss-Up race with Republican Congressman Tom Kean, Jr.Congressional Black Caucus PAC Chairman Gregory Meeks made the following statement:“Sue Altman is a stalwart supporter of justice and policies that will strengthen our communities and invest in a brighter future for all New Jerseyans. Based on her history advocating for working families, teachers, and taxpayers, I know Sue will be a vital part of the next generation of leaders who will bring forward a new Democratic House majority. The Congressional Black Caucus PAC wholeheartedly endorses her in NJ-07.”

Congressional Black Caucus PAC Endorses Sue Altman

Rep. Tom Kean Jr. should donate his Congressional salary to charity after handing in his resignation. His refusal to answer questions of any kind – even what he had for lunch – has turned him into a national joke.If you haven’t seen the video of NJ Spotlight’s Ben Hulac chasing him into an elevator this week in a futile effort to get even one answer to a question, take a look at it. It is painful to watch, because Kean stands in silence for two minutes, stone-faced, as Hulac asks him a series of questions.But not Kean. I’ve sent him dozens of questions in the last few years, and he’s never answered one, even in writing. He’s not holding open town halls, either.It’s a sad story, really. Kean never had the confidence to speak openly about controversial issues, even when he was a Republican leader in the state Legislature. He’d always begin by asking, “Are we off the record?” But eventually, he would usually tell you what he thought, even if couched with timid qualifiers.

MAGA Congressman Kean Jr. should just quit

New Jersey will potentially play a pivotal role in this November’s election, with virtually all of its delegation’s seats up for election in what could help decide the balance of power in Congress.But covering the reelection campaign of one Republican incumbent has become more like a game of chase — and our reporting team is losing.Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-7th) has avoided or refused questions and interviews from reporters both here at NJ Spotlight News and across the New Jersey press corps, effectively giving the silent treatment to those tasked with holding elected officials accountable.

Rep. Tom Kean Jr. refuses to answer, anything

Altman’s town hall tour is more than just answering an assortment of questions about strains on teacher’s pensions, anxieties about property taxes, Social Security and climate change. The tour has provided a stage for Altman to draw a sharp contrast with her opponent, Republican incumbent Rep. Thomas H. Kean Jr., who largely avoids the press, minimizes his informal interactions with voters and is banking on the power of social media and the aura of the enduring Kean name — his father, former Gov. Thomas H. Kean, a pillar of moderate Republican politics, remans one of the most popular figures in New Jersey despite leaving office more than three decades ago.Her point: she will be accountable to voters, anxious about the fate of Democracy. Kean, she argues, is accountable to Republican House leadership led by ultra conservative House Speaker Mike Johnson, and led around by the nose by ex-President Donald Trump and his MAGA army. Sending Kean back to Washington for a second term will only fortify a Republican Party that is drifting toward a draconian vision of governance and away from the nation’s democratic moorings, Altman contends.

Can Altman stir MAGA fears to unseat Tom Kean Jr?

A coalition of labor and grassroots progressive groups has raised over $500,000 to help Democrat Sue Altman unseat Rep. Thomas Kean, Jr. (R-Westfield) in New Jersey’s 7th district, the New Jersey Globe has learned.The New Jersey Education Association, the Communications Workers of America, the Working Families Party, 32BJ SEIU, New Jersey Citizen Action, Make the Road New Jersey, and Blue Wave New Jersey are expected to use the funds to pay for digital ads, direct mail, paid canvassing, and even airplane banners in their bid to flip the 7th district seat.“The road to a just, pro-worker Congress runs right through New Jersey, and CWA members are ready to get to work like never before to make sure that working people win at the ballot box in November,” said CWA District 1 Vice President Dennis Trainor. &nbsp;“We cannot let billionaires continue to buy their way into power and pave the way for politicians who want to strip us of our rights, our union, our retirement, and our freedoms.”

Unions, prog groups launch $500k plan to oust Kean

Trying to cover the re-election campaign of Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. of New Jersey is a bit like reading the children’s book “Where’s Waldo?”Numerous postings on Facebook from the Kean campaign show events in the state's 7th Congressional District, but only after those appearances have been held. His campaign sends out press releases criticizing his Democratic challenger Sue Altman, but none mention any of Kean's upcoming public events.All queries to the campaign go unanswered, including one for this story. Multiple reporters from other outlets said this has also happened to them.

Kean running for reelection - and from questions

NJ Spotlight News Anchor Briana Vannozzi sits down with New Jersey’s District 7 Democratic candidate Sue Altman.

Conversation with Sue Altman, NJ-7 Dem candidate

Sue Altman, Democratic candidate for Congress representing the Seventh Congressional district, returned on Monday, Sept. 16, to her hometown of Clinton to talk to potential constituents.She will face off against Republican Congressman Thomas Kean Jr., who is seeking his second two-year term,&nbsp; in the Tuesday, Nov. 5 general election.More than 100 attendees from across Hunterdon and Somerset counties and beyond heard Altman cover topics ranging from transparency in government, funding for schools and infrastructure, the viability of New Jersey agriculture, the workings of Congress and the importance of voter turnout.&nbsp;

(VIDEO) Congressional Candidate Sue Altman hosts Clinton town hall

But an interesting difference between the challengers and the incumbents is the relative lack of focus on health care policy. A few candidates mention lowering prescription drug costs in their ads, but the issue does not define their messaging campaigns in the same way it defines incumbent Democrats’. Interestingly, challengers followed the same script as their Republican counterparts — once again, we see words like “Washington” "and “politicians” prominently featured in the word cloud.A great example of this is New Jersey’s 7th congressional district. Democratic challenger Sue Altman uses two Republican surrogates, who say, “I'm really done with Tom Kean Jr. Kean is your typical say-anything, do-nothing politician. I gave the guy a chance.”That’s pure political persuasion. In an R+1 congressional district that has voted for both Trump and Biden, Altman is betting her best path to electoral victory is exposing Republican-leaning voters to that ad, and subsequently, getting them to rethink their party commitment. They might still cast a ballot for Trump, but pass on their support for the “do-nothing politician,” Tom Kean Jr.

How Democrats and Republicans Plan to Flip Seats

Tom H. Kean Jr. won his CD-7 seat two years ago by not really engaging with the press or having public events.He’s following the same pattern this year as he seeks reelection. This has continued&nbsp;to cause&nbsp;angst&nbsp;among the media, Democrats and some public interest groups.Here’s what the Democratic candidate said after holding a town hall Saturday afternoon in this Morris County town:“Tom Kean Jr. dodges the press, doesn’t do town halls … people care about that because they care about the democracy. And not just in an esoteric concept. But democracy in terms of how it functions in this district. These are people who expect a high degree of service from their elected officials.”

Kean’s Cloak of Invisibility

Sue Altman has been out and about all week – holding a rally in Rahway, a town hall in Clinton and speaking at a forum at FDU.Not so much her opponent, incumbent Rep. Tom H. Kean Jr.Yes, he has a “day job,” but that in itself does not explain Kean’s continuing refusal to engage with the press, or for that matter, just about anyone other than loyal Republicans.Kean used this strategy in winning his CD-7 seat two years ago, so one can’t blame him for doing it again in a district that leans Republican by about 19,000 on the registration rolls.At the same time, it makes for an interesting dynamic in what is the only competitive House race in the state.

Altman Picks up Tempo Against Invisible Kean

In the banquet hall of a hotel-turned-assisted living facility in her hometown of Clinton, Democratic challenger Sue Altman launched a six-stop town hall circuit that will stop in each of the 7th district’s six counties.The town hall was itself a jab at Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-Westfield) — Altman said the congressman’s lack of town halls and in-depth interviews with the press signified a break in tradition from leaders in the district. And while Altman discussed the pair’s political and ideological differences with the event’s 175 attendees, she blamed the Republican’s relative lack of accessibility on an absence of “political courage.”“He is not someone who’s known for wanting to be in the public eye, and I would respect that if he was accountable to the people of this district in other ways,” Altman said during the town hall. “But it is my opinion that he’s not at all.”

Altman launches town hall circuit

Sue Altman, the Democratic nominee for the 7th district against freshman Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-Westfield), is up on the air with her first TV ad of the cycle, a spot starring two self-described Republican voters named Anthony and Sue who say they’re turned off by Kean’s views.Altman’s campaign is putting up $500,000 to air a one-week blitz of the ad, titled “Turn the Page”: $400,000 on broadcast TV and another $100,000 on cable. That’s a major investment for Altman, who had $2.2 million on-hand as of the end of June (though she’s certainly raised more in the two months since then).

Altman hits airwaves with ad starring Republicans

As the 2024 campaign season begins in earnest, some Republicans are still trying to thread the needle on the abortion issue, in hopes that it will dampen the political powder keg that has cost the GOP elections all over the US since Roe v. Wade was overturned two years ago.On the one hand, these candidates assert themselves as pro-choice, because they say they oppose the idea of government imposing rules on a woman’s rights and body sovereignty.Yet on the other hand, the same candidates cheer the Supreme Court’s ruling in the 2022 Dobbs decision, which tore away the constitutional right to bodily autonomy and privacy by giving the states the authority to restrict or outlaw abortions.

Kean and Bashaw are pro-choice impostors

Former President Donald Trump’s recent suggestion that he backs the removal of a $10,000 cap on state and local tax deductions put in place by a 2017 tax bill he signed has candidates in the 7th Congressional District sparring over what’s known as the SALT deduction.Altman, meanwhile, noted the cap exists only because of a Republican Congress and administration. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, which imposed the cap, passed both chambers of Congress without a single yes vote from Democrats and was signed into law by Trump.“@KeanForCongress has zero credibility on SALT when he still refuses to admit Trump and GOP leadership are responsible for the double-tax on NJ families while doing nothing to fix the problem. Must be hard to fight for NJ-07 without a backbone,” Altman said on X.

In closely watched race, candidates spar over SALT

Billionaire Elon Musk’s America PAC has begun spending in House districts around the country to aid Republicans and slam Democrats – and one of the districts he’s targeting is New Jersey’s own 7th congressional district.According to paperwork filed with the Federal Election Commission, America PAC is spending $124,059 on “canvassing and field operations” to boost Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-Westfield) and attack his Democratic opponent, Sue Altman, who is running a well-funded campaign to unseat Kean in the competitive 7th district.“I’m happy to be targeted by the world’s richest man and his Trump-supporting super PAC, but it isn’t surprising Tom Kean, Jr. is turning to billionaires like Elon Musk to prop up his failing campaign,” Altman said. “Mega corporations and the wealthy elite continue to try to buy our elections and put their fingers on the scale of democracy. Regardless of your political party, big money in politics is bad for our democracy and our country. I’m running to put people over profits and put power back in the hands of voters.”

Elon Musk spending money to aid Tom Kean Jr.

Voters do understand, though, that federal law trumps state law, Sue Altman said, adding that should make anyone concerned about abortion stampede to the polls.Altman, the Democrat challenging GOP Rep. Tom Kean Jr. &nbsp;in the 7th Congressional district, warned that federal lawmakers could outlaw abortion altogether if the GOP sees gains in the coming election.“If (House Speaker) Mike Johnson has the gavel again and Donald Trump is elected president, there’s a very, very good chance that they will enact a national abortion ban,” Altman said. “I grew up in the 1990s, I’m class of 2000, and it makes me sick to my stomach that I may have already lived through the high watermark of women’s rights in my life, and if that itself is not enough of an issue, then I don’t know what is.”“The question to voters is, when it comes down to it, if the Republicans hold the House and national abortion ban legislation is put on Tom Kean’s desk, will he, for the first time in his life, stand up against party leadership and vote it down? Or will he do what clearly history shows he’s consistent in doing — will he ignore the will of the people of the district he represents and will he vote with party leadership?” Altman said.

Abortion an ‘urgent’ mobilizer to the polls 

Democratic Congressional candidate Sue Altman on Monday held her first in-person town hall, trying to draw a contrast with her mild-mannered — and more low key — opponent, Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-N.J.).She also separated herself somewhat from Democratic leadership. At the same time she accused Kean of not being available to constituents in unscripted forums, she acknowledged she has disagreements with Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris.Altman invited the press to attend the event in her hometown of Clinton and took several unscreened questions.Kean’s availability to taking questions has been a consistent theme from the Altman campaign in the race to represent New Jersey's 7th Congressional District, which is one of the most competitive in the country. She criticized Kean for not accepting press interviews — highlighting two instances in the past week where the congressmember declined interviews with the New Jersey Globe and New Jersey Spotlight News — and said Kean was not holding a sufficient number of public events....

Altman starts town hall tour needling Kean

TODAY, Monday, September 16th, 2024, Sue Altman will begin her town hall tour across New Jersey’s 7th congressional district in her hometown of Clinton. The town hall tour will make stops in every county of NJ-07, where Sue is locked in a hyper-competitive Cook Political Report Toss-Up race with Republican Congressman Tom Kean, Jr.Sue is running to show up and fight for voters by tackling corruption in both parties, protecting reproductive rights and fundamental freedoms, restoring the SALT deduction, and confronting the affordability crisis head-on.

Altman To Launch Town Hall Tour in Hunterdon Co

With union members decked out in colorful shirts assembled before her, Sue Altman was hailed Saturday morning as one of them – a working individual who relates to average folk.Altman&nbsp;had no trouble&nbsp;picking up the theme, telling a rally outside the town&nbsp;train station that&nbsp;her opponent, Rep. Tom Kean Jr., is a different sort.She speculated Kean knows little about&nbsp;grocery shopping and has no idea of what it&nbsp;feels like to share an apartment to make ends meet.The point was clear: Kean, the son of the former governor, simply can’t relate to the concerns of working Americans.Union members on hand for the rally included those from CWA, the NJEA and the Service Employees International Union.

Altman Zeroes in on Working Class Rahway

Today, the Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI) PAC endorsed Sue Altman in her race for New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District, where she is locked in a hyper-competitive Cook Political Report Toss-Up race with Republican Congressman Tom Kean, Jr.Sue has been a vocal advocate for the U.S.-Israel relationship. She has been a firm supporter of aid to Israel as it seeks to defend itself against Hamas and Hezbollah, and has repeatedly condemned the disturbing increase in antisemitic incidents and extremist rhetoric in the United States, while also demanding increased humanitarian aid to those in Gaza impacted by the war.

Democratic Majority for Israel PAC Endorses Altman

Sue Altman, the Democratic nominee for New Jersey’s highly competitive 7th congressional district, has <a href="https://newjerseyglobe.com/congress/an-interview-with-sue-altman/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">staked her claim</a> as a pro-Israel Democrat, saying that she firmly believes in Israel’s right to defend itself and that the United States should remain a close ally. Today, she got an endorsement to back up those bona fides.The Democratic Majority for Israel Political Action Committee (DMFI PAC), a group that endorses pro-Israel Democrats for Congress – and sometimes works to oust those who take stands against Israel – announced today that it will support Altman in her campaign against freshman Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-Westfield).

Altman earns endorsement from pro-Israel group

This morning, Sue Altman released her first TV ad in the hypercompetitive Cook Political Report Toss-Up race for New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District.&nbsp;The ad spotlights two NJ-07 Republicans who have rejected Tom Kean, Jr. as “your typical say anything, do nothing politician.”&nbsp;Anthony and Sue N. cite Kean Jr.’s extreme record &nbsp;– including the infamous “secret website” he used to covertly signal his anti-reproductive freedom agenda to conservative voters and donors – as their motivation for a change in representation.

In Altman’s First Ad, Voters “Done with Kean, Jr.”

“Tom Kean Jr.’s recent ad is nothing but a desperate attempt to rewrite history and mislead voters,” said McCormick. “He is trying to exploit his 2006 race against Bob Menendez to distract from his own troubling record.”“Kean is not the reformer he claims to be,” said McCormick. “In fact, his history is riddled with contradictions and ties to the very corruption he now pretends to fight.”Kean’s ad references his 2006 race against Menendez, focusing on his imaginary fight against corruption. However, McCormick points out that Menendez, at the time of their contest, had not been implicated in the serious crimes for which he was later convicted.

Lisa McCormick slams Kean Jr. for misleading ad

This week, vulnerable New Jersey Republican Tom Kean Jr. decided to come out of his hidey-hole only to once again stumble over an answer when voters hammered him for endorsing Donald Trump and his dangerous Project 2025 agenda.This isn’t the first time Kean Jr. has failed to distance himself from Project 2025’s extremism. While the authors of the far-right agenda called the harmful Dobbs decision “just the beginning,” Kean Jr. similarly promised he would fight “every step of the way to protect the unborn from egregious abortion laws.” Since then, he’s voted for bills which chip away at women’s fundamental reproductive freedoms and punish doctors who provide abortions.

Tom Kean Jr.’s Terrible Town Hall

"I see Donald Trump as an existential threat to our democracy.&nbsp; If he were re-elected, it is imperative that the Democrats flip control of the House of Representatives and maintain control of the Senate. An unrestrained, dictatorial Donald Trump devoid of Congressional restraints would be untenable in light of recent Supreme Court ruling pertaining to presidential immunity.New Jerseyans can do their part to build a firewall against Trumpism by winning back one of the three House of Representatives seats currently held by Republicans in New Jersey.&nbsp; Most pundits believe that the 7th Congressional District seat, currently held by 55 year old Tom Kean, Jr., is their best chance of gaining a seat. It will be one of the most watched races in the country."

Kean Jr. vs. Altman – A Pivotal Congressional Race

Since Kamala Harris burst onto the national stage and lit her party’s base on fire, Democrats across the country have made solid gains in races for governor, the Senate, and the House, climbing in the polls and raking in big bucks.“There’s no doubt that Harris has lifted all Democratic boats,” says Dave Wasserman of the Cook Political Report. “Now Democrats feel they’re back in the game.”How might this affect New Jersey? There is only one swing district here, and one race that the professionals rate as a tossup – the contest for Congress in the 7th District, a seat held by Rep. Tom Kean Jr., a freshman.

Kamala fever could help Sue Altman beat Tom Kean

Republicans running for Congress in swing districts, like Tom Kean Jr., are in a real bind over in vitro fertilization.They know most voters don’t think the government should stand in the way of couples desperate to have children. But House leadership and many of their donors have launched a full-scale assault on women’s reproductive rights – including IVF treatment.Both Johnson and Kean have tried to make this more palatable by claiming that they personally support IVF – but it doesn’t matter a bit, because they’re doing nothing to actually protect the right to IVF treatment. While four other Republicans running in competitive House districts signed onto a bill in March to federally codify this right in the wake of the Alabama Supreme Court’s stunning ruling that embryos are considered children, Kean did not.

Tom Kean Jr.’s phony claims on IVF | Editorial

Sue Altman, Democratic nominee for New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District, released the following statement on the passing of Congressman Bill Pascrell:“I am deeply saddened to hear of the passing of the irreplaceable Bill Pascrell this morning.Bill dutifully served his community in the Assembly, as Mayor of Patterson, and as a United States Congressman for 27 years.He was a teacher, a veteran, and a son of the Garden State. He was a proud defender of New Jersey values and a steadfast ally of working people and families.My thoughts are with his family, his many friends, and the constituents he so loyally represented over his lifetime of public service.”

Sue Altman statement on the passing of Pascrell

Sue Altman, Democratic candidate for congress in New Jersey's 7th district, joins Brian briefly to talk about her race against one-term Republican incumbent Tom Kean, Jr.

Sue Altman on the Brian Lehrer Show WNYC

In the New Jersey’s competitive 7th congressional district race, Democratic hopeful Sue Altman is hammering incumbent Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. for not supporting a U.S. House bill enshrining federal protections for IVF into law.The Alabama case looms large in a race occurring in a House district more than 950 miles from Montgomery. Kean, who said he was “deeply disturbed” by the Alabama Supreme Court’s ruling, has since pitched a proposal to offer income tax credits for people seeking IVF. But Altman has pounced, saying that Kean is not doing enough to stand up against the “extremists” who want to dismantle IVF.

How the AL IVF ruling could cost Trump the WH

New Jersey Democrat Sue Altman started hammering her House GOP opponent over in-vitro fertilization after an Alabama court put the issue in the national spotlight earlier this year.She has not let up since, accusing self-described pro-choice Rep. Tom Kean Jr. of not standing up to “extremists targeting reproductive rights.”“Other people in similar districts, other Republicans, have made different decisions than Tom Kean Jr., and to me, it shows that Tom Kean Jr. completely lacks [a] backbone, and he will not stand up for the women of the 7th [congressional district],” Altman said in an interview with POLITICO.

Dems test battleground theory: IVF fears win

Three of the region’s leading Democrats spoke: Andy Kim, who is running for the U.S. Senate, Rep. Mikie Sherrill of CD-11 and Sue Altman, who is running against Republican incumbent Thomas H. Kean Jr. in CD-7. Sherrill, who does not face strong opposition this year, said Republican control of government could mean a national abortion ban in addition to cuts in education funding, including Head Start, a preschool program that dates back to the Johnson Administration.Altman’s race against Kean is getting national attention. To win, she has to do well throughout the district, but more specifically, she has to make at least some inroads in very Republican Sussex and Warren counties.On that, she’s optimistic. She says that when she talks to people throughout the district about, say, climate change, they are receptive.

Kim, NJ Democrats, Mobilize in Green Knoll

A bus tour promoting youth involvement in politics stopped by Bridgewater on Monday night to endorse Sue Altman in her tight battle for New Jersey’s 7th congressional district.The Tour to Save Democracy hosted the event at Green Knoll Grill, where about 200 people, including a sizable group of Gen Z voters, rallied for Altman and Rep. Andy Kim (D-Moorestown), the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate. Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-Montclair) also spoke in support of Altman and Kim, as the speakers focused on issues like abortion rights, gun control, and youth involvement in politics.Altman took the fight to her Republican opponent, Rep. Thomas Kean, Jr. (R-Westfield), tying him to House Speaker Mike Johnson. She said she would protect LGBTQ+ rights and abortion rights and fight climate change.

Kim, Sherrill rally for Altman with Gen-Z in NJ7

The first debate between Democrat Sue Altman and Republican incumbent Tom Kean, Jr. will take place on Sunday, September 29 at 8 PM.Altman and Kean are facing off in New Jersey’s 7th district, which is widely considered one of the most competitive House races in the nation.The 90-minute debate is sponsored by the New Jersey Globe, On New Jersey, and the Rebovich Institute of New Jersey Politics at Rider University and will be streamed on the New Jersey Globe, On New Jersey, Facebook Live, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube.

Altman, Kean will face off in first debate in Sept

The battle over labor support in New Jersey’s highly competitive 7th congressional district continues, with the United Utilities Workers Union of America (UWUA) Local 601 announcing its support for Democrat Sue Altman over incumbent Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-Westfield).UWUA Local 601, which represents over 1,300 New Jerseyans who work at Public Service Electric &amp; Gas and NJ Transit, said that Altman’s long history as an advocate for organized labor made the choice an easy one.“[Altman] came to our Executive Council Meeting on June 27th and the vote was unanimous,” said Noel Christmas, Local 601’s president and the chairman of the UWUA New Jersey State Council. “She showed us that she has the backs of our union and our working families. She promised to keep her door open for the Utility Workers Union of America and listen to all our concerns.”

PSE&G workers’ union endorses Altman for Congress

“I think he’s too afraid to debate us, and he doesn’t even say why,” Altman, who’s challenging Kean in the Central Jersey swing district, said in a phone interview. Altman likened Kean to a “jellyfish” and a “turtle” who hides from constituents.Altman’s campaign said Kean turned down debate invitations from Centenary University in Hackettstown, which is located within the district, and the New York-based television station that broadcasts in much of New Jersey — something Kean’s campaign did not dispute. A spokesperson for Centenary confirmed that the university had wanted to host a September debate but that Kean declined, while a spokesperson for WPIX declined to comment.

Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr., campaigning for a second term in the most competitive major race in the state, recently turned down two debate invitations — something his Democratic opponent’s campaign has seized on.While Kean’s campaign says he will take part in other debates, noting that he has before, 7th congressional district Democratic challenger Sue Altman criticized him for being scared to engage with her one-on-one.“I think he’s too afraid to debate us, and he doesn’t even say why,” Altman, who’s challenging Kean in the Central Jersey swing district, said in a phone interview. Altman likened Kean to a “jellyfish” and a “turtle” who hides from constituents.

Kean rejects 2 debates and Altman pounces

“It’s the new beginning, different faces, fresh moment. That’s true in New Jersey, but it’s also now true nationally,” said Sue Altman, a first-time candidate running against Republican Rep. Tom Kean in New Jersey’s battleground 7th District. “For a while there, our campaign was providing hope when other places in the country hope was hard to find, and that’s including the presidential mess. I think now, however, it’s even more so the snowball is rolling down the hill because now there’s hope everywhere you look.”

House Dems hidden strength: Challenger fundraising

Sue Altman, the Democratic candidate looking to unseat Rep. Tom Kean Jr. in District 7, one of the most closely watched Congressional races in the country, also praised Biden for being "one of the most consequential Presidents in American history."Like the other Central Jersey Democrats, Altman said she is "more confident than ever before that Democrats will be united in November to defend our democracy, build on the progress we've made in the past four years and continue to deliver results for the American people.

What Central NJ leaders said after Biden bowed out

For that reason, I have recently joined my own representative in Congress, Rep. Mikie Sherrill, in campaigning for Sue Altman in the 7th District – a toss-up district that may decide who controls the House next year.Sue has put reproductive rights front-and-center in her race, and is clear-eyed about the work that must be done in Congress and the access issues that are specific to New Jersey communities.She knows that limited insurance coverage and travel distance are major barriers for marginalized patients seeking care, even in our state. She is firm in standing against deceptive practices by “crisis pregnancy centers” that endanger patients by disguising anti-abortion dogma as medical care.

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