Yet another Democrat, Giancarlo Simonetti, may soon enter the already-bustling Democratic primary against Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-Westfield) in the 7th congressional district.
Simonetti, a banker and first-time candidate from Monmouth County, said he believes Democrats will take back the House in 2026, and he wants to be part of that majority by unseating Kean. (His campaign is still in an exploratory phase for now, but he plans on making a final decision by January.)
“I sense that there is a lot of momentum on the Democrat side, but I feel that District 7 is never going to vote for a far-left candidate, like a Mamdani-style person,” Simonetti said. “I think they would vote for a Democrat if they could trust that they aren’t too far left, and more center and reasonable.”
Notably, though, Simonetti lives nowhere near the boundaries of the 7th district, which is located in the suburbs of Central and North Jersey and is nearly an hour’s drive away from Simonetti’s home in Howell, where Rep. Chris Smith (R-Manchester) is the local congressman. Simonetti said that he chose to run in the 7th district because he believes it’s “an easier point of entry for a Democrat” than other districts like the one he lives in.
“To be honest, I just moved to New Jersey about six years ago,” he said. “I don’t fully know what district I’m in personally.”
It’s not legally required for a House candidate to be a resident of the district they’re running in, though it’s unusual for someone to run for such a distant seat.
Ideologically, Simonetti classified himself as a “Democratic capitalist” and an admirer of California Rep. Ro Khanna: “I’ve discussed household budgets with business owners and families all over the country,” he said. “I think that qualifies me to know what’s important to families in District 7 these days.”
Eight other Democrats are already in the race against Kean, many of whom have been running for close to a year and have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars. That number was nine until earlier today, when former Summit Councilman Greg Vartan became the first Democrat to drop out of the race.
