It's good to see that negative - and false - ads do not always work.

A two-pronged attack on Rebecca Bennett in CD-7 began about two weeks ago.

She is really a Texas Republican who likes Ted Cruz. And she stands with ICE.
These attacks came from two sources - a presumed Republican PAC called Real Change and Democratic candidate Tina Shah.

Whether the attacks were coordinated or not is not important - certainly not now.

What's significant is that they were totally made up. And they didn't work; Bennett got about 45 percent of the vote in a 4-person race.

One expects a Republican group to go after a perceived strong candidate such as Bennett.

But many average Democratic voters were disappointed with Shah, wondering why she would target a fellow Dem so harshly.

When a few voters confronted Shah about her tactics after a forum a week or so ago, she did not engage and left the building. Not a good look.

* * *

Tom Kean has communicated again - sort of.

A social media post on Tuesday said he is "more energized than ever" to fight for the people of New Jersey. And he says that he will transition from virtual work to in person work "within a matter of weeks."

Hmm.

Talk about a loophole. Recall that Kean back in late April said he was going to return to Congress "very soon."

Now it is "within a matter of weeks."

The congressman did pledge to be completely transparent about his medical condition and said that he looks forward to "sharing my experience with the public."

A problem here is that even in so-called normal times, Kean never has been good at sharing things with the press and public.

* * *

Do you think other would-be congressional candidates will now grasp that if you lose in one district, it's not wise to run in another?

Tom Malinowski lost to Kean in CD-7 back in 2022.

This year, he ran in CD-11, which is nearby. That was in the special primary to replace Mikie Sherrill in the House. He lost, albeit narrowly.

Sue Altman, who lost to Kean in 2024, ran in Tuesday's primary in CD-12. She finished sixth and way behind the winner, Adam Hamawy.

House candidates do not have to live in the district they represent.

Still, voters, quite understandably, are not impressed when a losing candidate in one district simply runs in another. No matter where people live, they only live in one place.

Voters know that - even if candidates sometimes do not.

* * *

One of the "big" winners of the night was Justin Murphy.

He won the right to take on Cory Booker by defeating three others in the Republican primary.

That trio included Alex Zdan, a former News 12 journalist.

Murphy's win is in quotes for a very practical reason. Not only is New Jersey a Democratic-leaning state, Booker is a national figure.

But, as people like to say, you still have to play the game.

* * *

Zack Mullock, the mayor of Cape May, will challenge Republican Jeff Van Drew in CD-2.

There is a lot of frustration and anger among Democrats these days, but Mullock said that is not what he wants.

"We are not going to beat Van Drew with anger," Mullock told his victory party.

"We're going to beat him with people."

* * *

And in one local note, Christian Barranco, a former Assemblyman from LD-25,  lost a bid to become mayor of Jefferson Township, which includes part of Lake Hopatcong, the state's largest lake.

He was defeated by incumbent Eric Wilsusen.

Barranco launched a series of attacks against Wilsusen, alleging lack of transparency, ethical violations and unaccountable spending.
Most of Morris County's Republican leadership backed Wilsusen, although Barranco was backed by Assemblyman Jay Webber.