Today, the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 825 announced its endorsement of former State Senate Republican Leader Tom Kean Jr. for Congress in the 7^th Congressional District in the upcoming Republican Primary election in June. An advocate for the hard-working members of IUOE Local 825 and their families, by the reckoning of the local, Tom Kean, Jr. “has the proven track record representing working and middle-class families needed to keep New Jersey competitive.”

Greg Lalevee, Business Manager of IUOE Local 825 released the following statement:

“While politics and politicians have changed throughout the years, Tom Kean, Jr. has remained steadfast, trustworthy and someone the working men and women of New Jersey can count on. Whether it comes to defending workers’ rights or fighting for more infrastructure investment, Tom’s support of Operating Engineers and their families has been unrivaled. That is why we offer our full endorsement for his election.”

Headquartered in Springfield, NJ, the International Union Operating Engineers Local 825 represents more than 8,000 operating engineers throughout New Jersey and five counties of lower New York: Rockland, Orange, Ulster, Sullivan and Delaware.

Kean is engaged in his second attempt to dislodge incumbent U.S. Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-7). In 2020, the former Republican leader in the state senate came up short by about 5,000 votes, and wants another crack at the Democratic incumbent.

Malinowski suffered a defeat as that lone Democratic incumbent congressman whose district got harder for him for him as a consequence of redistricting as he faces a reanimated Kean. Malinowski, on the winning Democratic map, absorbed a district haircut.

The new map does kick him part of Linden and Rahway, blue collar towns run by Democrats, which party leaders hailed as potential lifelines for the embattled incumbent Democrat, but he gives up Millburn (a key lose, given voter demographics) and Dover.

“He can still win,” Mercer County Executive Brian Hughes said of the uphill-encumbered incumbent CD-7 Democratic congressman.

But the operating engineers’ local endorsement today gave another boost to the Republican challenger.