New Jersey Rep. Tom Kean Jr. wins re-election in tough Congressional race
New Jersey Rep. Tom Kean Jr., a Republican, has won a tough race for the 7th Congressional District seat against Democratic challenger Sue Altman.
Kean Jr. held a five-point lead as of 10:45 p.m. ET over Altman when he told supporters that he had won. Altman conceded in a speech to supporters soon after.
Kean has said he would not support a tax bill that did not include a restoration of the SALT deduction - short for the state and local property tax deduction - which was capped at $10,000 following the 2017 federal tax law ushered in by then-President Donald Trump.
“We had a message that resonated with voters,” he said in a brief press question and answer. “We talked about affordability, restoring the SALT deduction, standing with Ukraine, standing with Israel, energy independence, having the back of cops, securing our southern border.”
The SALT cap has been particularly painful for high-tax states like New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and California, where in some cases average property tax bills were double the deduction limit. Trump has vowed to lift the SALT cap if reelected, and the tax law enacting the cap expires next year.