New Jersey Democratic congressional candidate Rebecca Bennett declined three separate times to state her net worth during a Sunday debate against incumbent Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-NJ), despite running on a platform of removing money from politics.
A debate moderator asked Bennett directly, “What is your net worth?” She replied, “I don’t know the exact number. I’m happy to follow up later, but I will say that ultimately, I think what I hear loud and clear from people is that we need to get money out of politics.”
Bennett went on to criticize the influence of money in politics generally, tying it to the Citizens United decision, and pledged to reject corporate PAC money and work to overturn that ruling. She then pivoted to her opponent, saying, “I think that’s a clear contrast to my opponent, Congressman Tom Kean Jr. who has traded over $3 million worth of stocks and who has taken hundreds of thousands of dollars in corporate PAC money.”
When the moderator pressed again for “just a number, rough estimate,” Bennett said, “My net worth is very similar to what we see of a lot of families around here, you know, it’s that both my husband and I work, and so we are very fortunate that we’ve been able to build the life we want.”
The moderator tried a third time, asking more broadly, “Are you worth over a million dollars?” Bennett began, “My, like I said, I’ve been very,” before the audience laughed. She then described her background, noting she attended college on an ROTC scholarship and used the GI Bill for her MBA, and said her focus was on “the version of the country that we’re going to leave for my daughters and the next generation.”
Kean pushes back on stock trading claim
Kean disputed Bennett’s stock-trading allegation during the debate. “I have not traded an individual stock since I’ve been a member of Congress. In fact, every three months it’s reported so. In fact, I’ve gone further than the ethics committee recommended by also saying no short selling and no investing companies in countries that want to do us harm,” he said, adding that his holdings are in a blind structure with no personal involvement or input.
Bennett’s refusal to give a figure comes as Kean’s campaign has separately raised questions about her time in the healthcare industry. In a September 27 post on X, Kean wrote: “As a health care executive, my opponent set up lucrative deals with companies that put profits over people. Patients deserve leaders who will put their health, safety, and access to quality care first. Not the bottom line.”
National Republican Congressional Committee spokeswoman Maureen O’Toole told Breitbart News that Bennett “refuses to come clean about her own finances and shady career in the healthcare industry, while repeatedly lying about her opponent,” adding, “Rebecca Bennett isn’t running for Congress to fight corruption; she’s running to take advantage of it.”
Broader policy record
Bennett has also drawn attention for supporting a federal minimum wage increase to $25 per hour. An Employment Policies Institute study estimated that policy could eliminate roughly 5 million jobs nationwide over five years, including nearly 60,000 in New Jersey, under the proposed Living Wage for All Act, which would phase out subminimum wages for tipped workers. Bennett also opposed the One Big Beautiful Bill, which eliminated federal income taxes on qualifying tips and overtime and provided tax relief for seniors, arguing it favored wealthy Americans.
In June, Bennett was reported to have stayed silent when asked whether people should stop attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump, an exchange in which a staffer held up a sign in front of the person posing the question.
