Warren County Democrats have voted to endorse a Warren County native, climate scientist and former USDA official Megan O’Rourke, in the Democratic primary for the 7th congressional district.
O’Rourke, who was raised and continues to live in Blairstown, received 16 votes to Brian Varela’s 14 in a runoff at Warren Democrats’ convention this morning. Varela led O’Rourke 13-10 in the first round; Rebecca Bennett got seven votes, Tina Shah got two, and Michael Roth and Beth Adubato each received zero.
The county party also endorsed Senator Cory Booker, who faces a pair of little-known primary challengers, on a voice vote.
Warren County is part of the 7th district’s more rural northwestern corner, which is substantially redder than the rest of the district. In the 2024 Democratic primary for the seat, Warren voters made up around 12% of the electorate.
Still, getting the official backing of the county party is an important victory for O’Rourke, who is an underdog in the six-way race to challenge Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-Westfield).
Her convention win is not entirely an upset, however. None of O’Rourke’s foes have many ties in the county, and Warren Democrats have been promoting O’Rourke’s candidacy on their website for months; O’Rourke and Varela had both announced a handful of Warren endorsements prior to the convention.
“Today’s endorsement is more momentum for our effort to beat Tom Kean Jr. and hold Donald Trump accountable,” O’Rourke said in a statement. “Warren County Democrats know that I will fight for them and stay true to our shared values, and give our communities a strong voice in Congress.”
Bennett, increasingly the race’s frontrunner, has gotten party support in Union, Somerset, and Hunterdon Counties, which collectively make up the lion’s share of the district’s Democratic electorate. Varela won the convention in Sussex County, while Morris Democrats will hold their convention tomorrow, one day before the filing deadline.
This story was updated at 2:39 p.m. with comment from O’Rourke.
