Rutgers Democrats Door Knock for Rebecca Bennett in Competitive NJ-7 Race

Early voting in New Jersey starts Saturday, and Election Day is less than two weeks away. One of the most competitive House races in the country is in New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District, where Republican Congressman Tom Kean Jr. faces Democrat Rebecca Bennett. It’s also the most competitive race in the state, considered a tossup for this year’s election.

Every weekend this fall, members of the Rutgers Democrats have been knocking on doors in the 7th District. According to outreach director Johnny O’Connor, the club is “endorsing Rebecca Bennett,” for the 2026 midterm election, and has been “campaigning for her every single weekend,” by door knocking in the district.

Bennett is a first-time candidate. A week after graduating from Cornell with a degree in chemical engineering, Bennet joined the Navy, where she became a helicopter pilot. She became a test pilot, and still serves in the Air National Guard. After the Navy, she moved to New Jersey and worked in healthcare. Bennett also has two children.

Bennett, a former Republican, left the party after it embraced Donald Trump in 2016. She is now running on lowering costs of living, expanding healthcare and helping veterans. Earlier this month, she campaigned on gun safety with former Arizona Congresswoman Gabby Giffords.

Bennett is running against Tom Kean Jr., who has held the seat since 2023 and has President Trump’s endorsement. Bennett has criticized Kean’s vote for the One Big Beautiful Bill, saying that it costs people in the district their health insurance. She’s also pointed to the four months Kean was away from Congress this year, for which he said he was being treated for depression. Kean’s campaign has criticized Bennett’s ties to a hospital system flagged for poor quality of care.

The only public poll for the race, from September, had Bennett slightly ahead, within the margin of error. That poll was commissioned by InsiderNJ, whose owner has donated to Bennett’s campaign.

For the Rutgers Democrats, getting students involved starts on their phones. “On campus, I would just say social media the most because everyone uses it,” O’Connor said. “That’s how we promote people to come to the events outside of the campus and to door knock. So I would say Instagram especially is what we use.”

O’Connor added that reaching students who don’t follow politics is difficult. “Honestly, that is pretty tough because people who just aren’t engaged don’t typically show up to the meetings. But I would honestly say that we’d want to take a more moderate approach to it.”

O’Connor says that while club members don’t agree on everything, they all back Bennett. “There’s definitely some difference of opinion within the club, but at least in the Rutgers Democrats, it is a pretty big tent,” he said. “Regardless, if someone may not agree with Rebecca Bennett on every single policy, they’re still going to campaign and door knock for the Democratic candidate.”

O’Connor had criticisms of national Democrats, although specified that it was moreso about how they talk rather than what they stand for. “I just don’t think the messaging is right for a lot of their policy,” he said. “I would just say that they need to phrase their messaging better.”

Before Election Day, his message to students was encouraging them to vote. “Know when to vote and where you’re voting. Just research the candidate and find out what issues matter to you.”

Early voting starts this Saturday, Oct. 24, and ends on Sunday, Nov. 1. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, with polls open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. You can find your polling place at vote.nj.gov.

Story by Anna Deriabin and Samantha Peshkin.

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