RAHWAY – With union members decked out in colorful shirts assembled before her, Sue Altman was hailed Saturday morning as one of them – a working individual who relates to average folk.

Altman had no trouble picking up the theme, telling a rally outside the town train station that her opponent, Rep. Tom Kean Jr., is a different sort.

She speculated Kean knows little about grocery shopping and has no idea of what it feels like to share an apartment to make ends meet.

The point was clear: Kean, the son of the former governor, simply can’t relate to the concerns of working Americans.

Union members on hand for the rally included those from CWA, the NJEA and the Service Employees International Union.

This was a rah-rah type of thing – as such gatherings generally are – but the goal here was more than just hip, hip hooray for Sue.

When the rally ended, door-to-door canvassing to make sure Democrats vote was being organized.

This Union County town is one of the most Democratic in sprawling CD-7. And as one local official noted, it is also one of the most diverse towns in the district.

That makes it imperative for Altman to do exceptionally well here.

Back in 2022, then-Democratic incumbent Tom Malinowski carried Rahway by about 3.700 votes. That sounds pretty good, but it was not enough to prevent Kean from winning the overall race in a district that includes such GOP strongholds as Sussex and Warren counties.

Given this is a presidential year, more people are going to be voting. With that in mind, Altman said it’s important for people to pay attention to the race for Congress.

That was not mere idle chatter.

During the 2020 presidential election, Rahway was in the heavily-Democratic district of the late Rep. Donald Payne. So, voting for Congress did not really matter.

But now after redistricting, Rahway is in CD-7, which is one of the most competitive districts in the nation – and that’s not hyperbole.

Which explains the canvassing and today’s rally.

Altman, who was speaking to the converted, sought to rouse the crowd by talking about the need to fight for workers and the dignity of all people.

Regarding her opponent, she said:

“They’re coming for us. They’re afraid of us.”

A recent social media post from the Kean campaign criticizes Altman for allegedly supporting the “Defund the Police” movement in 2020.

The following is courtesy of the National Republican Congressional Committee:

“Earlier this week, Sue was asked in an interview about the Defund the Police movement and she said it was a ‘really silly hashtag in the middle of the pandemic that caught fire online.’

Here’s the truth: Sue Altman tweeted the “silly hashtag” then deleted her tweet when she decided to run for office. In her deleted post, she said she was working to defund the police in New Jersey.”

In the interview in question, Altman further explained:

“I think it was unnecessary; I think it turned out to be a very harmful hashtag, not just for the movement in losing credibility, but also for the men and women in law enforcement who are actively trying to do a good job.”

Later in the interview, she called the tweet “misguided” and expressed regrets about making it.

Still, don’t expect Team Kean to let this one drop.

There is a bit of irony here, however.

The Altman interview was with the NJ Globe. A note on the story said Kean declined to be interviewed.

That stance is the norm for Rep. Kean.

As the campaign continues, the congressman is getting some outside help.

Rep. Darrell Issa of California is scheduled to appear at a luncheon for Kean next Saturday in Washington Township, Morris County.