SPARTA - Brian Varela was finishing up a Sunday "meet and greet" in this Sussex County town when he was asked a pertinent question.

Why should Democrats choose him over, say, Rebecca Bennett, as the candidate to challenge Tom Kean Jr. in CD-7?

Varela complimented the attributes of the other candidates in the primary race - Michael Roth, Tina Shah and Bennett. But he said:

"The one thing that I think no one will disagree with, is that right now, we need a fighter. And I'm someone who has fought his entire life. I fought to pay my way through school. I fought to keep my family afloat when my mom got sick. I fought to raise my younger brother when she passed. I fought to build a business from scratch during COVID."

Showing up is not enough, he said.

"You need someone who is going to claw for every single freakin inch. And I'm that person."

So there.

Varela calls himself a "progressive," which in more traditional terms means he wants to be seen as the most liberal candidate in the race. He is not, he says, the "establishment candidate."

During this gathering in a township home, he spoke about Medicare for All, not immediately, but as a goal.

He wants to overturn the Citizens United ruling (only the Supreme Court could do that) and ban members of Congress from stock trading - now a bipartisan practice.

Varela condemns the administration's cuts to SNAP and "green energy."

Of that, he says, "You're literally gutting the jobs of tomorrow."

The district ranges over at least parts of six counties - Hunterdon, Morris, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren. Varela has been endorsed by Democratic committees in Sussex and Warren. Bennett has the rest.

Of course, the disappearance of the county line makes these endorsements less important than they were five years ago.

Primaries are called "family fights," simply because there is general agreement among all the candidates on issues.

For example, no one in a Democratic primary these days is going to say basic health care is not a right.

So, it can come down to which candidate is perceived to be the best "fighter."

On this day, Varela also was buoyed by what happened a few days ago in nearby CD-11. Analilia Mejia, the progressive Democrat, won in a landslide.

The districts are similar, but not the same. CD-11 is more urban than CD-7.

"I wouldn't take it as a sign that 'we got this.'" he said. "But it can't hurt. If anything, it does show there is a split among voters."

He added:

"Yeah. I think it makes a stronger case for a bold campaign."