As the June 2 primary election rapidly approaches, I wanted to share my disappointment with the actions of one of the four Democratic candidates running in the 7th Congressional District race.

Until two weeks ago, this campaign had been a model of civility in debates and forums, on social media, and in campaign mail and commercials. Then candidate Tina Shah began sending a series of negative mailers and airing a commercial attacking fellow Democrat Rebecca Bennett, the clear frontrunner in this race.

I understand politics. As a former journalist and political consultant for more than 35 years, I know negative attacks can move voters. I assume that is exactly what Shah’s campaign advisors told her. But candidates still make choices, and Shah’s willingness to run these attacks raises serious questions about her judgment and character.

As chair of the Westfield Democratic Committee, I met one-on-one with each of the candidates. Members of our committee, elected every four years by Democratic voters in Westfield, also spent an hour interviewing each candidate and asking questions.

In March, the committee met to discuss an endorsement. After two hours of debate, a clear consensus emerged around Rebecca Bennett based on her military service, her pragmatic positions on the issues and her strength as a general election candidate. She has also raised significantly more money than the other candidates from the broadest base of donors, without needing to self-fund her campaign.

After the meeting, a ranked-choice vote was held and Bennett won decisively, receiving 79% of the vote in the first round.

Bennett has become a target because she is the front-runner in this race. An independent poll conducted by former Monmouth University pollster Patrick Murray shows Bennett leading by a substantial margin. (In his pre-primary poll last year, Murray also correctly predicted U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill in the lead and Mayor Ras Baraka in second place.)

While the other candidates have resisted going negative, Shah’s campaign chose to attack Bennett for having been a Republican a decade ago and even implied she can't be trusted to stand up to President Trump.

The facts are clear: Rebecca grew up in a Republican household and, while serving in the military, was largely apolitical. When the Republican Party embraced Trump in 2016, she registered as a Democrat before the Republican National Convention and began donating to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. She never voted for Trump. In the decade since, she has supported and volunteered for Democratic candidates at every level of government.

What troubles me most about Shah’s line of attack is the message behind it: that someone who once belonged to one party is forever defined by it, no matter how much they evolve or what values they embrace today. That is not only unfair, it sends exactly the wrong message at a time when many voters have left the Republican Party because of Trump. If Democrats tell those voters they will never truly belong, we risk pushing away people who chose principle over partisanship and had the courage to change their minds.

I hope you will join me in voting for Bennett in the Democratic primary on Tuesday, June 2.

If you vote by mail, please return your ballot as soon as possible using the drop box at the Fraser Building on North Avenue across from the Westfield Diner.

Early voting begins Tuesday, May 26 and runs through Sunday, May 31. Polls are open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends. The closest early voting location is Union College of New Jersey in Cranford. Unfortunately, Memorial Pool is not being used as an early voting site for this election.

If you are still undecided, I invite you to meet Rebecca Bennett on Tuesday, May 26 at a private home in Westfield. You can sign up here, and the address will be sent to you shortly before the event.

If you would like to help get out the vote, join us for the last canvas launch of the primary on Sunday, May 31, at the People's Patio, 738 Mountain Avenue, Westfield. You can sign up here.

Bruno Tedeschi, Chair
Westfield Democratic Committee