Navy veteran and healthcare professional Rebecca Bennett ’09 is vying to be part of a new wave of “strong leaders” elected to Congress in 2026, she told The Sun.
Bennett joins Democrat Megan O’Rourke P.h.D. ’09 in the race. Both of the two former Cornellians are running with a focus on affordability and healthcare, though Bennett says she is the best candidate to win a competitive district.
The Bridgewater native said she decided to enter the Democratic primary for New Jersey’s 7th district because of her past military service to the country.
“I felt this calling to lean in, because I love this country and want to fight for the version we want to live in and leave for my daughters,” Bennett said.
Since announcing her campaign on Feb. 4, she has raised more than $1.3 million — the most among the nine Democrats running to unseat incumbent Thomas Kean Jr. (R-N.J.)
The purple 7th district is New Jersey’s most competitive and is on the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s target list, which sets Democrats’ priorities for the upcoming midterms. Kean only won New Jersey’s 7th district in 2022 with a two percent margin.
With so many candidates running, Bennett says she will not only run on her electability, but on “getting things done” once in Congress.
“I have a unique set of experiences: I served in the United States Navy in some of the most challenging environments on planet earth,” Bennett said, adding that Democrats are “craving leadership” during President Trump’s second term.
Only one week after graduating Cornell, Bennett was at a Navy training camp in Florida. In the armed forces, Bennett served as a test pilot, aircraft commander and is now part of the Air National Guard.
After retiring from active duty in 2019, she earned her Masters in Business Administration from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School and subsequently worked at healthcare companies Midi Health, which focuses on menopausal health, and Oshi Health, which specializes in gastrointestinal care.
Though Bennett believes there must be an effort to “prevent the worst cuts to Medicaid and Medicare,” that Trump has made, she also said that Democrats running in a competitive district need to focus on a proactive approach to healthcare, and that she believes in making the system “more efficient and effective.”
She also said healthcare was one of the three most important issues in the midterms, which also include affordability and national security.
As a mom of two kids, Bennett argued that her family sees “firsthand the effects of the economy.”
On national security, the former navy pilot said that she would focus on “supporting peace” and “promoting democracy throughout the world,” with a focus on “preparing the United States for 21st century warfare,” according to her website.
Bennett is pro-Israel and said she “supports the state’s right to exist and defend itself,” after being asked how she sees her pro-Israel stance in a Democratic party that is rapidly shifting away from Israel. However, when asked about taking money from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in the future — a growing concern among Democratic primary voters — Bennett’s aide requested to move on to the next question.
While two of Bennett’s competitors, Brian Varela and Megan O’Rourke, have publicly stated support for House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Bennett remained noncommittal on supporting him.
Bennett’s profile and approach appears similar to many candidates’ in the 2018 midterm elections, when Democrats were similarly attempting to put a check on the first Trump administration. In competitive suburban districts, like Bennett’s, millennial veterans with moderate platforms and pragmatic approaches ran — and won — handing Democrats a majority in the House of Representatives.
Bennett, including having the most cash on hand among primary contenders — about $1 million — and has recently been endorsed by Rep. Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.), VoteVets, and the former mayor of Summit, New Jersey, Jordan Glatt.
Primary voters will go to the polls less than a year from now, on June 2, 2026.
Correction: October 22, 12:40 p.m.: This article has been corrected to include the correct name of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
Atticus Johnson is a member of the Class of 2028 in the College of Arts and Sciences. He is a senior writer for the News department and can be reached at ajohnson@cornellsun.com.
