Incumbent U.S. Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-7) and challenger Tom Kean face off this morning at 8:30 a.m. at a forum sponsored by the Gateway Regional Chamber of Commerce.

A Democrat, Malinowski is seeking his third term in office.

He defeated Republican Kean by about 5,000 votes in 2020.

This time, however, a post-redistricting 7th District map makes Kean a slight favorite in a plus-1 Republican district where Republicans have a 17K-vote advantage.

Probed by a House Ethics Committee for failing to report his individual stock trades, Malinowski has fixed on Kean’s muddled record on abortion in the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade.

The incumbent has also highlighted Kean’s tepid response to the Trump-exhorted Jan. 6th desecration of the U.S. Capitol and his decision to run from the media.

For his part, Kean has mostly emphasized Malinowski’s troubled stock record, and his aye votes on a Biden agenda that has failed to stem a national inflation.