Who is Rebecca Bennett, the Democrat running for Congress in NJ-07?
Politics Unusual: Councilwoman Carmen De La Rosa, Rebecca Bennett join
FOX 5 NY's Teresa Priolo speaks to Councilwoman Carmen De La Rosa on AI oversight hearing and Rebecca Bennett on the race for NJ's 7th congressional district on this episode of Politics Unusual.
SOMERVILLE, N.J. - Democrat Rebecca Bennett is challenging Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Kean Jr. for New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District on Nov. 3; Bennett, a former Navy helicopter pilot and health care industry executive, won the Democratic primary in June and is seeking her first elected office.
Rebecca Bennett’s career
Timeline:
Bennett, 39, lives in Bridgewater, New Jersey, with her husband and two children, according to her official campaign website. She was born in New York and raised in Texas.
Bennett served in the military for 15 years, and in addition to her role in the Navy, she served as an experimental test pilot and aircraft commander, also according to her campaign website. Bennett then went on to serve in the Air National Guard.
During her military career, she earned a master’s degree in business administration from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, per her LinkedIn page.
After leaving the military, Bennett and her husband, also a former Navy pilot, settled in New Jersey to raise their family, her biography states. She later worked in digital health, health care technology and pharmaceutical companies, bringing military and private-sector experience to her first campaign for elected office, also according to her LinkedIn Page.
(Photo by Kena Betancur/Getty Images)
Bennett’s campaign centers on affordability, access to health care, veterans’ services and government ethics. Her campaign priorities state that she intends to increase the supply of affordable housing, reduce administrative barriers and restore the state and local tax deduction, known as SALT, for New Jersey taxpayers if elected.
Bennett also calls for measures to lower health care costs and expand economic opportunities on her campaign website. On government ethics, she supports banning members of Congress from trading individual stocks and has said she divested her personal stock holdings.
As outlined in the Bennett campaign's official position paper on energy and jobs, Bennett has advocated for investment in renewable energy and clean-energy manufacturing, biotechnology and health care industries in New Jersey. Her platform also addresses environmental protection, national security, veterans’ services and support for military families, according to her campaign website.
Kean vs. Bennett
Dig deeper:
Bennett’s 2026 campaign comes as she challenges Kean for the congressional seat he has held since January 2023.
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The candidates have presented differing positions on the Trump administration’s policies, including its approach to Iran and presidential authority over tariffs, per the AP. During a September debate, Bennett criticized U.S. military action against Iran and called for tariff oversight, while Kean defended the administration’s approach, citing Iran’s nuclear ambitions and presidential tariff authority.
What's next:
The November election will determine whether Kean continues representing the 7th District or whether Bennett enters Congress.
The Source: Information sourced from The Associated Press, Tom Kean Jr.'s official U.S. House of Representatives website, Rebecca Bennett for Congress' policy one-pagers, the New Jersey Department of the Treasury's 2025 tax update presentation, Rebecca Bennett for Congress' priorities page, Rebecca Bennett's LinkedIn profile, her official campaign biography, FOX 5 New York and Ballotpedia's coverage of New Jersey's 7th Congressional District election in 2026.