ABC News is projecting that Republican Rep. Tom Kean, Jr. will retain control of New Jersey's 7th District. With 85% of the expected vote in, he currently leads his Democratic opponent, Sue Altman, 52% to 46%.
The race was closely monitored by political prognosticators as the results here could impact which party ultimately controls of the U.S. House. Beyond that, the race was worth watching for a number of other reasons. For starters, while New Jersey itself is solidly blue, the 7th District is the state's only swing one, and Democrats were hoping to flip it blue again. (In 2022, after the district was redrawn to become more favorable to the GOP, Kean, Jr. successfully unseated Tom Malinowski, a Democrat.) A win tonight for Kean, Jr. doesn't mean that the district will stay red forever, though. NJ-07 is the only one in the state that, theoretically, could be up for grabs by either major political party in a competitive election year. It has a partisan lean of R+3.
Notably, polling ahead of tonight predicted a much closer race. An October Monmouth University survey found that while Kean, Jr. had an edge with voters on issues including the economy and immigration, they trusted Altman more on abortion policy. When it came down to who to vote for, the survey found the two candidates essentially deadlocked: 46% of registered voters said they "definitely" planned to back Kean, Jr., compared with 44% who were clearly in Altman's camp.
Kean, Jr. should be a loyal vote to the GOP House caucus next year. During his reelection bid, he primarily stuck to his party's talking points, including drumming up fear regarding migrants entering the U.S.. Notably, during a candidate debate, he briefly froze when asked whether he supports Trump's mass deportation plan. "We need to ensure that we have the people who can be leaders, to find the common ground, to secure our southern border, and to. He breaks with some of his party's members on at least one issue, though: He says he supports "reasonable" restrictions on abortion, including banning the procedure after 20 weeks.