SOMA Action, a progressive grassroots group based in South Orange-Maplewood, which is in NJ’s 11th Congressional District, announced on July 20 that its Board of Trustees has endorsed Democrat Rebecca Bennett in her run for New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District seat.
Bennett is facing incumbent U.S. Rep. Tom Kean Jr. in the general election. Kean is a Republican who made headlines this year with a mysterious protracted absence from Congress, during which he missed 140 votes. Upon his return, Kean attributed his absence to depression.
Bennett is currently outraising Kean by a nearly 3-1 margin.
Election Day is November 3, 2026.
Following the endorsement, SOMA Action will be mobilizing its resources to back Bennett. This Saturday, July 25, the group is joining forces with Students for NJ-7 to canvass in Rahway and attending a rally with Bennett.
According to her campaign website, Bennett is a “former U.S. Navy helicopter pilot, officer in the Air National Guard, business leader in healthcare, and mom of two” who “has always valued service.” Bennett has an M.B.A., with honors, from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, followed by a career “working with mission-driven startups to advance healthcare opportunities for all Americans.” According to her LinkedIn profile, Bennett has worked with Johnson & Johnson, Midi Health and Oshi Health.
Rebecca Bennett, photo courtesy of SOMA Action.
NJ-7 is seen as ripe for a flip in the current political environment. President Donald Trump carried the district by roughly a single point in the 2024 Presidential election, but Democrat Mikie Sherrill won the district in her campaign for governor in 2025. The Cook Political Report currently rates NJ-7 as a “toss-up.” (SOMA Action has already endorsed incumbent Analilia Mejia for NJ-11; Mejia is facing Republican Joe Hathaway in the November general election. Mejia won a special election for NJ-11 in April after Sherrill, who formerly occupied the seat, won her gubernatorial race in 2025.)
In a release, SOMA Action wrote, “Democrats view the seat as a must-win in their effort to retake the U.S. House majority. They held the district until Kean Jr. narrowly defeated Rep. Tom Malinowski in 2022. SOMA Action has organized in the 7th since the 2018 midterms, and will now be canvassing alongside partner grassroots groups, including OneNJ7, to reach voters across the district.”
“This is the most important House race in New Jersey, and one of the most important in the country,” said Erika Malinoski, Co-President of SOMA Action. “The 7th District will help decide whether Democrats take back the House and restore a real check on this administration. We know how to win here and Rebecca Bennett gives us a genuine chance to flip this seat. We intend to leave everything on the field.”
“Rebecca Bennett has spent her life serving this country, first as a Navy helicopter pilot and then as a leader in healthcare,” said Allison Posner, Co-President of SOMA Action. “She understands what working families in this district are up against, from the cost of living to the fight for affordable care. She is honest, she is tough, and she will actually show up for the people she represents.”
Amy Higer, Co-Chair of SOMA Action’s Democracy Action Committee, said organizing is key to winning: “Starting now, our members can knock doors, write postcards, make calls, and talk with voters directly on Rebecca Bennett’s behalf. We have canvassed this district for years and we are ready to go. If you want to help flip the 7th, this is the moment to get involved.”
