NEW JERSEY — November 9, 2026 — Democrat Rebecca Bennett’s victory over Republican Congressman Tom Kean Jr. was far more than a change of representation in New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District. An analysis of unofficial election results shows that Bennett carried 47 municipalities that voted for Kean just two years earlier, including communities long considered Republican strongholds.
Bennett, a former U.S. Navy helicopter pilot making her first run for public office, received 57.3% of the vote, compared with Kean’s 41.1%. The roughly 16-point victory reversed Kean’s five-point win in 2024 and ended Republican control of a congressional seat that had been closely contested in recent elections.
According to an analysis published Monday by the New Jersey Globe, Bennett also led in the portions of all six counties that make up the district: Hunterdon, Morris, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren.
The results show how dramatically the district’s political landscape changed between the 2024 and 2026 elections.
Republican Strongholds Shift Toward Democrats
Some of Bennett’s most notable gains came from places where Republicans had maintained comfortable leads for years.
In Hunterdon County, Kean won by ten percentage points in 2024. Bennett carried the county’s portion of the district by nine points this year, representing a 19-point shift toward Democrats.
The Morris County portion also changed hands, moving from an 11-point Republican advantage in 2024 to a roughly ten-point Democratic victory.
In Somerset County, Bennett won by 20 points after Kean had carried the same area by two points two years earlier.
Union County delivered Bennett her largest margin, approximately 34 points.
Perhaps most surprising were the results in Sussex and Warren counties. Both had favored Kean by more than 20 percentage points in 2024, but Bennett narrowly led in their portions of the district in the latest unofficial results.
The movement was visible at the municipal level as well.
In Morris County, Roxbury, which gave Kean a 19-point victory in 2022, supported Bennett by approximately four points this year. Mount Olive backed Bennett by 20 points.
In Sussex County, Sparta shifted from a 19-point Kean victory in 2022 to a four-point Bennett win. In Warren County, Hackettstown moved from an 11-point Kean advantage to a 16-point victory for Bennett.
These changes were not limited to traditionally competitive suburbs. They reached smaller communities and areas where Republican candidates had previously won by substantial margins.
A District That Voted for Trump in 2024
New Jersey’s 7th District had supported Donald Trump over Kamala Harris by approximately one percentage point in the 2024 presidential election.
A year later, Democrat Mikie Sherrill carried the district by about two points in the governor’s race.
Bennett’s double-digit congressional victory represents a considerably larger Democratic margin than either of those results.
Kean first won the seat in 2022, defeating Democratic Congressman Tom Malinowski by approximately three points. He strengthened his position in 2024, defeating Democrat Sue Altman by five points.
Bennett’s victory ends his four years in Congress and adds another Democratic seat to New Jersey’s congressional delegation.
While the results demonstrate a broad shift in voting patterns, they do not establish a single reason for the change. The district includes communities with different economic conditions, political priorities and local concerns.
The outcome also coincided with wider Democratic gains in New Jersey’s November 3 elections.
The figures remain unofficial. Provisional ballots are still being counted, and some voters have additional time to correct problems with mail-in ballots. Final certified results could slightly change individual margins, although Bennett’s victory has already been called.
Sources: New Jersey Globe, David Wildstein, November 9, 2026; Reuters, November 4, 2026; WHYY, November 4, 2026; New Jersey Division of Elections.
By NJ RADAR Team