In this 2020 election, Tom Kean, Jr. is the only Republican Congressional challenger in the nation I have endorsed.  He is seeking to unseat Democrat Congressman Tom Malinowski in New Jersey’s Seventh Congressional District. 

My endorsement was not at all a criticism on my part of Tom Malinowski, for whom I have no negative feelings.  Nor was it in any way a positive signal on my part regarding the NJGOP, with whom I have parted company due to its embrace of Trumpian dogma. 

Instead, my endorsement is a reflection of 1) my high regard for the conduct of Tom Kean, Jr. as New Jersey State Senate Republican leader; 2) my profound admiration for the senior Tom Kean, the finest governor of New Jersey during the 20th century; and 3) my deep appreciation and affection for the Kean family, who, significant for me, has been the best friend of the Jewish people among all non-Jewish families in American politics.  I elucidated on all this in my endorsement of Tom, Kean, Jr. in my InsiderNJ column of June 3, 2020: 

https://www.insidernj.com/can-tom-kean-jr-effectively-repudiate-trump-win-politics-inclusion/ 

I could never have endorsed Tom Kean, Jr. if I believed him in any way to be Trumpian.  He does not in any way reflect the racism, xenophobia, and, misogyny of Donald Trump, in fact, quite the reverse. 

I have been disappointed that Tom Kean, Jr. has never explicitly repudiated the presidency and personage of Donald Trump.  I do understand that this was a reflection of the political conundrum Tom Kean, Jr. perceives as limiting his freedom of action. 

Specifically, Tom Kean, Jr. understandably believes that he cannot win without the Republican base in his district, which is most loyal to Donald Trump.  Any repudiation of the Donald would have also lost the enormous financial support given to him by the National Republican Congressional Committee, as reported in this Jonathan Salant story in the Star-Ledger: 

https://www.nj.com/politics/2020/10/this-is-the-only-nj-democrat-that-republicans-are-spending-millions-to-defeat.html 

This endorsement reflects a crying need of the NJGOP.  It must demonstrate an ability to win in suburban New Jersey as well as exurban.  Otherwise, it is doomed to the second-class status of political irrelevancy in the Garden State. 

The Seventh Congressional District has portions of six counties which are both suburban (Essex and Union) as well as exurban (Warren, Hunterdon, Somerset, and Morris).  Tom Kean, Jr.  is perceived as perhaps the only New Jersey Republican with the capability of winning in both suburban and exurban New Jersey. 

The Kean-Malinowski race is presently too close to call.  Yet if Tom Kean, Jr. loses, it will be due, more than anything else, to the Trump albatross he unwillingly carries. 

Alan Steinberg served as regional administrator of Region 2 EPA during the administration of former President George W. Bush and as executive director of the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission.