Rebecca Bennett said she wanted debates with Tom Kean Jr. in every county of CD-7.

There are six of them - Hunterdon, Morris, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren.

Of course, she had to know that wasn't going to happen.

But we do have one debate and it is Sunday night. Sponsored by the NJ Globe and Rider University, it begins at 7 p.m. and will be aired on C-Span in addition to various social media platforms.

The significance of this race is obvious. Control of the House is truly at stake,

There are only about two dozen or so competitive House races in the nation and this is one of them.

An InsiderNJ poll by Patrick Murray, late of the Monmouth University poll, put Bennett in the lead by five points. That's newsworthy because the district has about 17,000 more registered Republicans than Democrats.

That poll was good enough last week for Larry Sabato's "Crystal Ball"  to move the race from toss-up to lean Democratic.

Said Sabato in part:

"Kean likely was hurt, or at least not helped, by a long, opaque absence from Congress earlier this year, which he eventually explained was because he was undergoing treatment for depression. To the extent he was hurt by the absence, it was likely more about his lack of explanation as opposed to the treatment itself."

That's a very salient observation from the University of Virginia where Sabato is based.

Reasonable people tend to be sympathetic, or at least understanding, about someone's illness. The problem here was Kean's refusal to address the issue, a trend that has continued since he returned to Congress on June 30.

One presumes that the congressman will be asked pointed questions about his absence and his reluctance to engage with the public and press.

As for Bennett, this is her first try for public office. She likely will be asked about what prepares her to serve in Congress without any electoral experience.

Debates are between the combatants, but they often also offer reporters a chance to interview the candidates afterwards.

Maybe.

The invite to this debate says:

"For reporters, there will not be formalized gaggles with the candidates following the debate, but you may of course approach candidates to speak with them if you wish.":