In a debate with the Democrat Rebecca Bennett, the New Jersey Republican said he was willing to take on the president over funding for a Hudson River tunnel project. Representative Tom Kean Jr., a Republican, is defending his House seat against the Democrat Rebecca Bennett in a closely watched contest in New Jersey. They debated on Sunday night. Sept. 28, 2026, 12:31 a.m. ET Representative Thomas Kean Jr., a New Jersey Republican in a tight re-election battle, sought to distance himself slightly from President Trump on Sunday as his Democratic opponent, Rebecca Bennett, pelted him with reminders of his years of loyalty to the unpopular president. Mr. Kean began his opening comments during a debate in Rahway, N.J., by stating that he was willing to stand up to Mr. Trump’s efforts to strip funding from a critical Hudson River rail tunnel. “I will make sure that I counter anybody who gets in my way, including this president,” he said. And for the first time, Mr. Kean clearly stated his opposition to the Trump administration’s plan to convert a warehouse in Roxbury, N.J., into an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center. He also said he opposed Mr. Trump’s decision to change the name of Lake Ontario to “Lake America.” On key issues such as the war in Iran and the president’s tariffs, however, he maintained strong support for Mr. Trump’s policies.

“The president is justifiably using that to reduce costs for consumers,” Mr. Kean said of the tariffs. His seat in New Jersey’s Seventh District, which has seesawed between the two parties three times since 2018, is considered a prime pickup opportunity for Democrats as they try to retake control of Congress in November. On Friday, in a sign of the volatility of the contest, The Cook Political Report shifted the race from “tossup” to “leans” Democratic, despite the Republican Party’s 16,600-voter registration edge. An independent poll taken this month showed Mr. Kean trailing Ms. Bennett, a former Navy helicopter pilot. Groups aligned with the Republican Party are pumping millions of dollars into the race. Mr. Kean and his Republican allies have booked $17.4 million in advertising, far outpacing Democrats’ $4.9 million, according to Ad Impact, an ad analytics firms. Sunday’s debate was the first time that Mr. Kean, 58, had subjected himself to extensive public questioning since being absent from Congress for nearly four months while being treated for what he has said was depression. The first question Mr. Kean was asked dealt with the lack of information he shared while hospitalized and missing from Congress from March through June.

“Nobody can plan a medical emergency,” he said. “And that was a medical emergency.” Neither the debate’s moderators nor Ms. Bennett pressed him for additional details about his treatment or his fitness to continue to hold office for a third term. “I’m glad that you got access to the care that you need,” Ms. Bennett said, “and I wish you a continued speedy recovery.” Mr. Kean — the son and namesake of a former New Jersey governor — has never been known as a graceful speaker, even after 25 years as a politician. But he appeared confident Sunday as he parried for 90 minutes with Ms. Bennett. His wife, father and twin brother sat in the front row behind the moderators. He stressed his experience and his unconditional support for Israel, noting that he would support sending American troops to defend the country, if needed. He also tried to depict Ms. Bennett, a first-time candidate, as a puppet of the Democratic Party. “You have not heard my opponent once tonight differ from the average Democratic member of Congress, who always votes the party line,” he said. Ms. Bennett, 39, focused on Mr. Kean’s support for Mr. Trump’s policies, including his vote to slash Medicaid funding, as she worked to present him as out of touch with his constituents’ concerns. She repeatedly mentioned his active stock portfolio and the trades he signed off on while absent from Congress.