Kean primary victory sets up rematch with Malinowski

Former New Jersey state Senate Republican leader Tom Kean Jr. was projected to defeat several Republicans in the state’s 7th Congressional District primary on Tuesday, paving the way for a rematch with incumbent Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-N.J.). 

CNN and ABC News both called the race for Kean.

Kean lost to Malinowski in 2020 by just 1.2 percentage points. The highly anticipated rematch between the two men has drawn the attention of national Republicans and Democrats.

The National Republican Congressional Committee has named Malinowski to its offensive target list, while the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has named the Democratic congressman to its front-line list. 

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report has rated the race as “lean Republican.”