Bergen County voters weigh Medicaid cuts in 7th District special election

Voters in New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District go to the polls Tuesday at 6 a.m. to decide the seat currently held by Rep. Tom Kean Jr. The race centers on the impact of recent federal budget legislation on local health care coverage. Polls remain open until 8 p.m., and anyone in line at closing time may still cast a ballot.

The 7th District includes portions of Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris, Passaic, and Somerset counties. Residents will choose between Kean, the incumbent, and Democrat Rebecca Bennett. The election follows a contentious vote in May 2025 where the House passed the federal budget bill by a single margin of 215 to 214. Kean voted in favor of the bill, a decision that determined its final passage in July.

The budget bill introduced changes to Medicaid that began affecting New Jersey residents on Oct. 1. New work requirements start in January. The state’s Medicaid program, known as NJ FamilyCare, serves approximately 1.8 million people, including children, seniors, and working adults. State officials estimate that up to 350,000 enrollees could lose coverage under the new rules. That figure represents about one in five people currently enrolled in the program.

Data from the state Department of Human Services indicates that most of those facing loss of coverage remain eligible for benefits. The department testified that many will be dropped due to new paperwork requirements rather than a loss of actual eligibility. In Arkansas, a similar work requirement led to the loss of coverage for about 18,000 people in 2018. Researchers at Harvard found that nearly all of those adults were already working or should have been exempt from the rule.

Kean has defended his vote by citing a change to the state and local tax deduction. The new law caps this deduction at $40,000, up from the previous $10,000 limit that was set to expire at the end of 2025. Kean argued this cap provides relief to homeowners. However, the higher cap is scheduled to drop back to $10,000 in 2030. Bennett states she would reverse the Medicaid cuts and restore Affordable Care Act tax credits that lowered premiums until they expired last year.

Kean has not held an in-person town hall since taking office in 2023, relying instead on telephone town halls. Bennett held town halls in all six counties within the district. The two candidates participated in a single debate on Sept. 27. During that event, Kean said he would challenge the Trump administration’s freeze on Gateway tunnel funding. A federal judge had already ruled that freeze unlawful before the debate took place.

The Bergen County Record endorsed Bennett on Oct. 19, stating that Kean keeps his distance from ordinary voters and the press. Residents can find their specific polling place at Vote.NJ.Gov. Those with mail ballots must deliver them to a county drop box or the county board of elections by 8 p.m. on Tuesday. Polling places do not accept mail ballots. Voters who mail their ballots must ensure they are postmarked by Tuesday and received by the county by Nov. 9.

Bennett said she ran for the seat because the district deserves a representative who protects families’ health care. Kean, who has served since 2023, is seeking re-election. The outcome of Tuesday’s vote will determine who represents the 7th District in the next Congress.