Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-Ringoes) will kickoff his bid for re-election to a second term in Congress on Sunday with a rally in Hunterdon County.
Malinowski defeated five-term Rep. Leonard Lance (R-Clinton Township) in 2018, becoming the first Democrat to win the 7th district House seat since 1954.
If he wins re-election, he’ll be the first Democrat to win back-to-back two-year terms in the district since Rep. William Tuttle (D-Westfield) was re-elected in 1912.
Daniel Fleiss will manage Malinowski’s campaign.
Fleiss was the field director for Malinowski in 2018 and managed the 2019 campaign of Democratic Assembly candidates Lisa Bhimani and Darcy Draeger in the 25th district – an effort that earned him the designation of New Jersey Globe Best Operative Runner-Up of the Year.
Malinowski is expected to hold additional kickoffs in other parts of his district.
Thomas Kean, Jr. vs. Rosemary Becchi in GOP primary
The front-runner to take on Malinowski is Senate Minority Leader Thomas Kean, Jr. (R-Westfield). Kean faces a GOP primary challenge from Rosemary Becchi, a former U.S. Senate tax counsel.
Hillary Clinton carried the district by a 48%-47% margin against Donald Trump in 2016. Malinowski defeated Lance by 16,200 votes, 52%-47%.
New Jersey’s 7th district has 1,806 more Republicans than Democrats – down from the GOP registration edge of 6,709 on Election Day 2018.
