Two candidates are gone.

One candidate is enthused with finishing a close second at the Morris convention.

Another candidate can revel in winning support from party regulars in four of the six counties in the district.

Yep, the race in CD-7 - often called one of the most competitive in the nation - has crystallized a bit after Monday's filing deadline.

The district - now represented by Republican Thomas H. Kean Jr. - ranges over at least parts of Hunterdon, Morris, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren counties.

Starting from the back, the Democratic candidates leaving the race are Beth Adubato (second from left, above) and Megan O'Rourke (fourth from left, above).

Abubato seemed to be only halfway in right from the start, often missing events and not even competing at some county committee conventions.

O'Rourke, however, was in it for "real."

And she did have a seemingly compelling story - for active Democrats. O'Rourke was a climate scientist whose federal job was deep-sixed by the Trump Administration.

A native of mostly "red" Warren County, O'Rourke talked about her ability to understand the concerns of farmers and rural citizens - not always a Democratic strength.

She was endorsed by the Warren County Democratic Committee, but gained little other traction. She never filed a nominating petition, effectively leaving the race.

Tina Shah, an ICU doctor from Westfield, has failed to get significant support from county committees in the district, but remains in the race.

Things can change between now and June 2, but as of now, the race appears to be among Rebecca Bennett, Brian Varela and Michael Roth.

Bennett, of Somerset County, has won endorsements from county committees in Hunterdon, Morris, Somerset and Union counties, which is a big chunk of the district.

She is a former Navy helicopter pilot. So, the comparison to Mikie Sherrill, who also ran for Congress as a "former Navy helicopter pilot" eight years ago, is unavoidable.
How much that contributes to her success so far is unknown. Bennett has said that polling indicates a vet running for office as a Democrat gets a significant boost.

Varela was endorsed by Sussex Democrats. And with O'Rourke's exit, he picked up support from Warren County.

A resident of Long Valley in western Morris, Varela probably has been the most visible candidate so far.

He has been a routine presence at various rallies and protests against an ICE facility in Roxbury and the refusal of Kean to engage with voters. Sometimes, he shows up carrying an American flag.

Varela and O'Rourke, who was then still a candidate, both attended last week's "Finding Kean" rally in Bernardsville.

Varela likes to talk about having endorsements from all corners of the sprawling district. Fair point, but here is a cautionary note. Brendan Gill had a lot of endorsements too,

Roth, a former official with the U.S. Small Business Administration, finished second to Bennett at last Sunday's Morris convention.

But he came very close, getting about 48 percent of the vote. Here was his upbeat social media message:

"We've got the people. We’ve got the power. We’ve got the momentum."

He says that Morris proved his campaign is going in the right direction.

All this skirmishing is to find a challenger to Kean, who likes avoiding public interactions and talking to the press.

Whether federal plans for an ICE warehouse in his district eventually change that remains to be seen. But the guess here is no.

In a district that favors the GOP by about 20,000 voters, why expect Kean to change?

After all, his strategy worked in 2020 and 2022.