The mid-terms are almost upon us. In CD-7, Kean, Jr., on the Republican side, is unopposed. On the other side of the aisle multiple candidates remain in the race. All of whom seek to convince Democratic primary voters of the most important – and fundamentally the only – question. Can they win the general election? Because voting in the primary for a candidate who cannot do so is a vote for Trump and against America. The calculus is that simple. And that stark.

One of the contenders on the Democratic side is Brian Varela. Can he beat Kean, Jr.?

Varela’s history of winning elections is not encouraging. In 2022, an InsiderNJ article noted that Varela had previously “tried to run against Robert Menendez Jr. in the June Democratic primary in CD-8 but was removed from the ballot because he didn't have enough valid petition signatures.” https://www.insidernj.com/trying-move-forward/,

Fast forward to April of last year, when Varela, claiming a newfound “understand[ing] of what it takes to run a winning campaign,” https://www.insidernj.com/varela-announces-campaign-for-congress-in-new-jerseys-7th-district/, threw his hat into the ring.  But this time in CD-7. Not in CD-8.

Why? In that same InsiderNJ article, Varela proclaimed “I’ve lived the struggles that New Jersey families face every day. I’ve made impossible choices, raised my younger brother after my mom passed, and built a nationally recognized business during one of the toughest economic crises in modern history. I know what it’s like to struggle, to sacrifice, and to win—and that’s the fight I’ll take to Congress.” He expanded on this theme last September, declaring that "[i]t's really important to speak to that working class voter," he added. "You have to focus on a message of working-class populism. [You can have other issues] but you have to land on that, by addressing universal childcare, which will drive the economy forward and everyone's livelihood will benefit." https://www.insidernj.com/cd-7-flashpoint-varela-dems-need-to-improve-working-class-message/.

Let’s unpack that. Varela has faced real struggles. He is a self-described fighter. And a successful businessman. Varela’s family struggles are certainly commendable. I can’t speak to his fighting prowess, other than to say that the last time I checked, our society – now defined by serial simplistic fights over complex issues – is on a steep and accelerating trajectory of decline.  To the extent Varela’s economic pitch rests on his accomplishments as a businessman, things may be more muddled.

Varela’s focus on childcare is consistent with where he appears to have made his money as a co-founder of Growing Seeds Learning Academy, which operates under the umbrella of GSLA Holdings. https://njbmagazine.com/monthly-articles/2023-awards-for-excellence/#:~:text=Brian%20Varela%2C%20CEO%20&%20Co%2D,Skalli%20Events,  Varela seems to want voters to view his successful childcare business as evidence of his commitment to bettering society. And maybe it is. https://varelaforcongress.com/en/meet-brian#:~:text=Brian%20Varela%20is%20a%20first,growing%20companies%20in%20the%20country.

Running parallel to that notion, though, is the fact that Varela, at the age of 36, has apparently amassed enough to infuse $1,150,000 into his own campaign, as loans. https://www.fec.gov/data/candidate/H2NJ08265/. Whether this money comes directly from Varela himself or indirectly from a lender whom Varela’s campaign must repay is unclear.  Either way, these borrowed funds represent over 61% of all the funds he has received.

What does the fact that 6 out of every 10 dollars of funding are borrowed say about the real level of Varela’s support and connection to working families? Actions speak louder than words. Writing a check is an act. Rebecca Bennett has raised over $2.8 million for her campaign in the CD-7 Democratic primary. “[N]one of that has come from self-funding. Over 13,000 individual donors have given to her campaign, with 93% of them giving less than $100. https://newjerseyglobe.com/congress/bennett-raises-over-700k-in-q1-her-largest-nj-7-fundraising-quarter-yet/. Those 13,000 individual acts, and Varela’s inability to come close to matching them, speak directly to their respective electability.

Does Varela’s self-funding – either directly or indirectly - also speak to something more? Because $1,150,000 is far more than most of the working families that he purports to be fighting for will save in their lifetimes.

Leaving us where? In this country a mere 28% of Americans hold a favorable view of the Democratic Party, https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/03/politics/cnn-poll-double-haters-democrats-midterms. CD-7 has more registered Republicans than Democrats. Is Varela – running as a progressive, https://www.insidernj.com/varela-i-fought-to-pay-my-way-through-school; https://www.insidernj.com/our-nj-progressive-movement-is-rising/, what CD-7 needs?  Or is he instead another progressive candidate convinced that he knows what is best for us (if we were only smart enough to see it)? Who will personally pay (or repay) a small fortune to show us; if not in CD-8, then in CD-7.

Let us not shirk from saying hard things in a hard time. For to do so is to abdicate our responsibility to our families, our community, and our nation.

I am not a political prognosticator or a psychologist. Just an evidence based independent. I ask questions and seek answers.  And what I see here tells me that while Kean, Jr. may beat himself, Varela almost certainly cannot himself beat Kean, Jr.

I neither work for Bennett’s campaign nor seek a future job from her; the two I already have are quite sufficient. But I have financially contributed to, and support, Rebecca Bennett. I don’t know why 13,000 others have made that choice.  I made mine because she is a centrist. Because she has served this country in the front line with honor. Because in a bucketed society, she does not seek to elevate any one group or single issue to the exclusion of others. Because she does not ask people to vote based on gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or a rigid ideology, but instead seeks to unite us around renewed American values - freedom, merit, and opportunity - that, when realized, will result in a better society. And because she doesn’t need Kean, Jr. to beat himself.  Bennett can win on the merits.