Rebecca Bennett is not to be trusted. After all, she "spent her early years as a Republican."

With that mailing and a subsequent TV ad, what was a polite four-way tussle among Democrats in CD-7 just became a bit less polite.

The mailer against Bennett, which was paid for by Tina Shah's campaign, was the first truly negative ad of the entire race.

The headline on one side of the mailer said, "Rebecca Bennett's Republican Roots."

On Wednesday, the four candidates seeking the party's nod in the June 2 primary - Bennett, Shah, Michael Roth and Brian Varela - were scheduled to meet in a forum in Westfield sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ.

Bennett backed out because of a scheduling conflict, her campaign said. There were no questions about Shah's recent attack.

Interestingly, this is not a new issue, although this is the first it's been raised in a campaign attack.

Bennett was asked about it earlier this month at an event in New Providence.

She said she grew up in Texas in a Republican leaning family and that's how she registered when she turned 18.

She then entered the military - serving as a Navy helicopter pilot. Bennett said the military is "apolitical," but when 2016 rolled around she was out of the service.

At that time, she said she realized her values aligned with the Democratic Party and that's how she registered. And Bennett said she made a contribution to Hillary Clinton's campaign.

Bennett has been endorsed by both the Morris and Somerset County Democratic Committees, both of which were quick to condemn Shah.

Said Darcy Draeger, the Morris chair:

"With two weeks left to go before the June 2 primary, it is deeply disheartening that Morris County voters once again have to endure a congressional primary where opposing candidates and Republican PACs are suddenly spending hundreds of thousands of dollars in an attempt to divide Democrats and manipulate the outcome of an election.
In this case, their move is trying to “Swiftboat” NJ-07 frontrunner Rebecca Bennett.
In reality, Bennett is a Navy veteran, a mother, and a lifelong public servant who has run a positive, issues-focused campaign centered on defeating the real opponent in this race: Tom Kean Jr.
In the fevered swamp of dark money disinformation, however, opponents are trying to paint her as a shifty former Republican frantically stuffing cash from ICE into her pockets. These ads and mailers would be funny if they weren’t so obvious and dumb.
At the end of the day, we all want (and deserve) honest information about what candidates will actually do to lower costs, protect freedoms, and improve the lives of New Jersey families. We do not want manufactured controversies driven by outside spending.
The Morris County Democratic Committee condemns this nonsense and reiterates our strong support of Rebecca Bennett. We know she has the discipline, character, and broad appeal needed to flip NJ-07 and deliver a Democratic victory in November."

Marguerite M. Schaffer, the Somerset chair, and other party leaders, said:

"Somerset County has flipped from Republican to Democratic control since 2017, and we have worked tirelessly to bring together a coalition of Democrats, Independents, and yes, even Republicans, to win. For Tina Shah to attack a Democrat who has spent her life serving this country as a Navy veteran is disingenuous and frankly disgusting. What is missing in our country is consensus building and reaching across the aisle. Picking on an opponent simply because she was once a member of the other party is just silly. Clearly, she can find nothing else. We win as Democrats when we build broad coalitions, and that is exactly what Rebecca Bennett has done in this primary and will continue to do when she becomes our nominee on June 2. Voters are ready to flip this seat again in November with Rebecca Bennett."

On Wednesday afternoon, a spokesperson for the Shah campaign said:

"We encourage Rebecca Bennett to answer the question on her voting record and explain why she is taking money from ICE contractors."

And in a fresh social media post, Bennett said:

"DC Republicans are pouring money into a dark money super PAC to lie about me because I’m the candidate they fear most in November.

"I served 15 years in the Navy putting my life on the line to defend our country. The GOP is about to learn they picked a fight with the wrong person and are going to have to go through me in November."

The DC reference is to a recently-formed group called Real Change PAC.