Two weeks ago, Tom Kean Jr. sent out a fundraising appeal centered on a "Biden-Obama insider" jumping into the CD-7 race.

That so-called insider is Tina Shah, a physician who has served as a senior advisor to the U.S. Surgeon General and the National Director of Clinician Wellbeing at the VA. during the Obama and Biden administrations.

On Wednesday evening, Shah was interviewed over zoom by OneNJ7, a left-leaning public interest group. She was the last of six, CD-7 Democratic candidates looking to challenge Kean next year to appear.
Kean's reaction to Shah's entry into the race did not come up.

But she did bring up what got the attention of Team Kean.

Shah said her campaign raised about $260,000 her first day in the race.

Shah is triple board-certified in internal medicine, pulmonology, and critical care medicine and now practices at RWJ Barnabas Health.

Needless to say, health care is going to be a big part of her campaign.

That's not only because of her background. The most contentious part of the so-called Big, Beautiful Bill are cuts to Medicaid, which are projected to impact almost 400,000 residents in New Jersey and many hospitals in more rural parts of the country.

As Shah put it during her interview:

"I'm watching (and) the U.S. healthcare system is broken."

Kean contends that the bill helps Medicaid because it seeks to target fraud and abuse.

In mirroring what other Dems are saying, Shah said that Kean is simply rubber-stamping whatever Donald Trump wants.

"People are not OK with Trump," she said. "People are not comfortable. They're not OK with the volatility and the uncertainty." She mentioned the constantly-changing tariffs.

The midterm elections are more than a year away, and much can change in a year. Still, you have to figure Trump will be a big factor.

Dems are enthused when they look backward. In the 2018 midterms in Trump's first term, Democrats flipped four seats in New Jersey, including CD-7, and took control of the House. They are hoping for the same result in the 2026 midterms.

Kean won the seat in 2022 and was reelected last year.

A central Democratic argument against Kean is that he avoids the public. He does not hold live town halls or public events announced in advance. Shah called that "ridiculous."

While Kean has received much criticism over his reluctance to engage, it so far has not hurt him politically. The district, which ranges over at least parts of six counties, has about 20,000 more Republicans than Democrats.

Combatting simple arithmetic is the main problem for Shah, or whatever Democratic candidate emerges.

For her part, Shah says she plans to listen to everyone in the district. And she's looking ahead - to not only securing the nomination, but to debating Kean.

"I can't wait to have him on stage," she said.

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