Malinowski concedes to Republican Tom Kean Jr. in New Jersey's 7th District

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. — Democratic Rep. Tom Malinowski conceded to Republican challenger Tom Kean Jr. late Wednesday morning in New Jersey's 7th Congressional District, becoming the only incumbent member of the state's House delegation to lose reelection this year.

Kean Jr.'s victory had been anticipated. Malinowski was considered the underdog from the start after Democrats prevailed in the redistricting process last year, redrawing the 7th District to lean more Republican in order to shore up the districts of other potentially vulnerable Democratic incumbents. The Kean-Malinowski race was considered the most competitive in the state.

In remarks to supporters Tuesday night before conceding, Malinowski said he would have been reelected under the boundary of his previous district. He reiterated that sentiment in his concession.

“I am deeply grateful to the people of the 7th District for the honor of representing you, and I congratulate Congressman-Elect Kean," Malinowski tweeted. "We did as well or better than in 2020 in the communities I've represented these last four years, but the new district proved too much of a hurdle.”

With 95 percent of the district's precincts reporting, Kean Jr., the son of popular former New Jersey Gov. Tom Kean Sr., maintains a 4.6 percentage point lead but the race has not been officially called for Kean Jr. despite Malinowski's concession. Kean Jr. had stopped just short of declaring victory Tuesday night but said Malinowski had no path to victory.

Kean Jr.’s victory could help the GOP retake control of the House of Representatives. Republicans are favored to win an exceptionally-narrow majority.

Come January, Democrats will hold a 9-3 majority in New Jersey’s House delegation — down from 10-2.

The formerly solidly-Republican 7th District, which includes parts of central and northern New Jersey, is considered one of the wealthiest in the country. Malinowski, who was seeking his third term, flipped the district four years ago and defeated Kean Jr. by 1 percentage point in 2020. Kean Jr. is likely to be a top Democratic target in 2024 who will look to flip the seat back.

The 54-year-old former state Senate minority leader ran a play-it-safe campaign with minimal media engagement that focused mainly on inflation.

Malinowski’s campaign, which many Democrats wrote off immediately after redistricting, got a boost from the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade, which Malinowski honed in on throughout the campaign — along with tying Kean Jr. to former President Donald Trump.

Kean Jr. studiously avoided discussing Trump, allowing the state Republican Party to paint him as a Trump loyalist in mailers while saying he supported abortion for up to 20 weeks.

Part of Kean Jr.'s own campaign website was specifically targeted to conservative voters during the primary. It labeled him a “fierce defender of the sanctity of life, fighting every step of the way to protect the unborn from egregious abortion laws.”

Kean Jr. also leaned into conservative backlash against New Jersey’s sex education teaching standards, which Malinowski called “made-up cultural bullshit.”

Malinowski, a 57-year-old former human rights lobbyist and diplomat, was stridently anti-Trump and had warm relations with progressives despite his district’s Republican leanings.

But it was Malinowski’s own party that doomed him during redistricting, to the chagrin of progressive activists. He did not develop as strong relationships with Democratic power brokers as did the state’s other vulnerable Democrats, and a scandal involving his late reporting of stock trades made it easier for party leaders to justify giving him a tougher district.

“I’m gratified that across the country, Americans chose moderation over MAGA, while passing referenda protecting a woman’s right to choose," Malinowski tweeted. "Our democracy and our freedoms are in strong shape. Our recent achievements are secure.”