MENDHAM - Five Democrats came to this tony borough on a frigid Tuesday night to condemn Donald Trump and Thomas H. Kean Jr.

That was no surprise as the CD-7 congressional hopefuls in various ways - and often with fierce rhetoric - criticized ICE, Kristi Noem and a federal government they said is growing more "authoritative" every day.

As for the two-term congressman, Rebecca Bennett captured the mood of the evening this way:

"Tom Kean Jr. is a coward," she said.

Her point was his acquiescence to Trump and his aversion to interacting with the public and press.

This was to be expected, and in itself, Democrats attacking Trump and Kean is not even news these days. (Of course, it still gets written about)

But then, a pertinent question was asked. Just how do you plan to beat Kean in a district that leans Republican?

Kean won the seat in CD-7, which ranges over at least parts of Hunterdon, Morris, Somerset, Sussex, Warren and Union counties by about 9,000 votes in 2022 over Tom Malinowski. In 2024 with many more people voting, he beat Sue Altman by about 23,000.

Besides Bennett, those attending were Megan O'Rourke, Michael Roth, Tina Shah and Brian Varela. Candidates Beth Adubato and Sara Sooy were absent.

Roth pointed out that the district's three-way split is pretty even among Dems, Republicans and unaffiliated.

For the record, the latest estimated registration figures are 216,000 Republicans, 196,000 Democrats and 212,000 unaffiliated.

Roth asserted that there are not as many differences among these groups as some may think.

"They have the same challenges. They feel they can't get ahead," he said. So his challenge is to reach out to all those groups of voters, which he said is something he did in his old job - head of the Small Business Administration (SBA) under Joe Biden.

Shah, an ICU physician, said Democrats in the district are being activated.

But to win in November, you need more than just active Democrats.
Shah said her professional experience will help her, noting that when she is on the job, "I don't know if someone is a D, or a R, or an I. ... All I know is that a person is in front of me." She will take the same position in reaching out to all voters, she said.
Varela stated the obvious:

"It's a tough district."

He said the key to Dems ousting Kean is to build coalitions. He said that so far among Democrats, he has support of progressives and also moderate Democrats who have been elected in "red" towns.

He also spoke of Latinos. Some swung to Trump in 2024, but they moved back to the Democrats last fall. Varela said to keep it that way, Democrats must visit those communities - and not just "a month before the election."

For what it is worth, he also said that he is the only candidate Republicans are so far attacking, so he must be doing something right. (More on this later).

Bennett is a military veteran, who like Mikie Sherrill, was a helicopter pilot.

And like the now governor, Bennett says her military background is a big help in appealing to independents. That's because in the military, partisan politics means nothing - only doing the job counts.

"That's the beauty of serving in the military. It's a true melting pot," she said.

O'Rourke, a climate scientist, said that like a woman of science, she studied the district and would not be in the race if she thought she could not win.

Pointing out that she grew up in a Republican part of the district (Warren County), she said she understands the concerns of rural voters. She also has big ambitions. O'Rourke said her goal is not only to win the seat, but to hold it.

O'Rourke, by the way, also has been attacked by Kean supporters. She was called an environmental nut, or something along those lines.

All the candidates also mentioned the need to raise money. As Bennett put it:

"We know that there's going to be a ton of dark money coming in to support Tom Kean Jr."

Speaking of money, Team Kean just sent out a fundraising appeal. As is the norm with such things, Kean spoke of a dire emergency.

"I just got out of a meeting with my senior team, and the report we received was troubling," he says in the missive.

It then points out how much Democratic PACs are raising, adding:

"They have also officially named their top target list for 2026 - and NJ-07 is on it."

No surprise there.