New Jersey Representative Tom Kean Jr. Secures Re-Election in Competitive Congressional Contest
Republican Tom Kean Jr. has successfully won re-election for the 7th Congressional District seat in New Jersey, defeating Democratic opponent Sue Altman in a hard-fought contest.
As of 10:45 p.m. ET, Kean Jr. had a five-point margin over Altman when he announced his victory to supporters. Shortly after, Altman acknowledged her defeat in her speech.
Kean has expressed that he would oppose any tax legislation that fails to reinstate the SALT deduction—meaning the deduction for state and local property taxes—reduced to $10,000 by the tax law introduced in 2017 under then-President Donald Trump.
“We communicated a message that connected with voters,” he shared during a brief Q&A session with the press. “We focused on issues like affordability, restoring the SALT deduction, supporting Ukraine and Israel, promoting energy independence, backing our police, and securing the southern border.”
The SALT cap has particularly impacted residents in high-tax states such as New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, and California, where average property tax payments often exceed the deduction limit. Trump has pledged to eliminate the SALT cap if he returns to office, and the law imposing this limit is set to expire next year.