Tom Kean Jr. backs Trump on Iran and tariffs while softening stance on local issues
Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. defended President Trump’s Iran policy and tariffs in a New Jersey debate, but distanced himself from the president on the Hudson River tunnel and an ICE detention center.
In a televised debate in Rahway, New Jersey, Rep. Tom Kean Jr. reaffirmed his support for President Donald Trump’s policies on the Iran conflict and tariff regime, claiming they benefit consumers. He broke with the president on two local matters, vowing to fight any effort to withhold funding for the Hudson River (Gateway) tunnel and opposing a plan to turn a Roxbury warehouse into an ICE detention center. Kean also rejected Trump’s proposal to rename Lake Ontario as “Lake America.”
His Democratic opponent, former Navy pilot Rebecca Bennett, attacked his decades-long allegiance to Trump, his vote to cut Medicaid funding, and his personal stock-trading practices. The 7th Congressional District race, historically competitive, has shifted from a “toss-up” to a “leans Democratic” rating, even though Republicans hold a 16,600-voter registration advantage. Republican-aligned groups have poured $17.4 million into advertising, far outspending the Democrats’ $4.9 million. Kean, who missed several months of congressional work for medical treatment, defended his absence and emphasized his support for Israel and his experience.
Why it matters
The contest could flip a swing New Jersey seat, influencing the balance of power in Congress.
How this story developed
- Aug 13 San Antonio immigrants live in constant fear as ICE arrests surge
- Aug 25 ICE began using a $45 billion allocation to shift legal ownership of detention centers to the federal government.
- Sep 1 ICE placed a mother and her adult daughter into custody after a hospital intake following a car crash in Florida.
- Sep 1 ICE carried out a raid in Memphis that arrested more than 100 people, the largest raid in the city’s history.
- Sep 11 A judge dismissed the deportation case against the Andhra Pradesh woman, yet ICE continued to require her reporting.
- Sep 17 ICE agent Christian Castro turned himself in to Minnesota authorities on a warrant for assault after shooting a Venezuelan man, and faces both state and federal charges.
- Sep 17 Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar aired a campaign ad accusing President Donald Trump of overreaching on immigration enforcement.
- Sep 18 Salazar released a campaign advertisement that criticizes President Trump’s immigration enforcement.
- Sep 18 Castro entered a not‑guilty plea to the federal false‑statement charges.
- Sep 20 A man was wounded after being shot by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in North Austin, Texas, and taken to a local hospital.
- Sep 24 A federal appeals court has invalidated the Trump administration's policy of deporting migrants to third-party nations, mandating ICE to allow a genuine chance to contest danger.
- Sep 25 Salazar met with Trump on Face the Nation after releasing the immigration ad.
- Sep 27 The administration filed an emergency petition to the Supreme Court seeking a stay of the First Circuit’s order.
- Sep 27 A federal judge scheduled a personal appearance for the man on September 30 and issued a temporary order halting his deportation.
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