bennett

Rebecca Bennett has won a high-stakes Democratic Party primary in the US state of New Jersey, setting up a contest against Republican Tom Kean Jr, backed by President Donald Trump, for one of the most competitive seats in the upcoming midterm elections.

Bennett, a former US Navy helicopter pilot, defeated three Democratic rivals in New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District, securing about 47.2 percent of the vote, according to projected results on Tuesday.

Her nearest competitor, Tina Shah, received 20.2 percent.

Kean and Bennett will now square off in November for a seat that has changed party hands twice within the past eight years and ranks as a key target for Democrats hoping to capture the House of Representatives.

Independent analysts rate the contest as a toss-up.

The race has attracted heightened attention because of Kean’s prolonged absence from Congress.

The Republican incumbent has missed more than 100 House votes since early March due to an undisclosed illness.

Despite his absence, Kean ran unopposed in the Republican primary with Trump’s backing.

Kean said on Tuesday that he remained focused on his recovery and expected to return to in-person work within weeks.

Hours before polls closed, Kean released a statement promising greater transparency about his health while suggesting his return to in-person work could take longer than previously anticipated.

On May 21, he said he expected to be back within “a couple of weeks”.

“Right now, I am focused on my recovery and, under the advice of healthcare professionals, I will transition from virtual to in-person work within a matter of weeks,” Kean had said.

Bennett targets cost of living, Kean’s absence

At an election night gathering in Somerville, New Jersey, Bennett sharply criticised Kean’s record and absence from Washington.

“You are failing us, and you do not deserve to represent us in Washington,” she told supporters, calling the congressman a “coward”.

Bennett built her campaign around her military service and economic issues, arguing that higher grocery and gasoline prices during the US-Israel war on Iran, combined with Trump’s tariffs, were squeezing working families.

Democrats have increasingly focused on the conflict’s economic impact, with higher energy costs contributing to inflation and broader cost-of-living pressures across the country.

The 7th Congressional District, which includes suburban communities, farm towns and Trump’s golf club in Bedminster, has emerged as one of New Jersey’s key battlegrounds.

The seat has changed hands repeatedly in recent election cycles, with Democrat Tom Malinowski defeating Republican Leonard Lance in 2018 before Kean unseated Malinowski in 2022.

Bennett’s victory over Tina Shah, Brian Varela and Michael Roth now sets up a high-stakes general election contest in a district both parties consider crucial to their House ambitions.

Kean, 57, is the scion of a storied New Jersey political family.

His father, Thomas Kean, served two terms as governor and later chaired the 9/11 Commission, a panel set up in 2002 to investigate the circumstances surrounding the September 11, 2001, attacks in the US. He is also a descendant of William Livingston, New Jersey’s first governor.

The Republican congressman will also enter the race with the backing of Trump, who reiterated his support on the eve of the primary, despite Kean’s prolonged absence from Washington.

“Tom Kean has my Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-Election,” Trump wrote on social media, adding: “HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!”

Voters in the district have ousted incumbents in recent midterm elections, making the race one of the most competitive House contests in New Jersey.

Elsewhere in New Jersey, Analilia Mejia won the Democratic nomination in the 11th Congressional District, while LaMonica McIver secured the Democratic nomination in the 10th Congressional District.

Ella Bruccoleri shot to fame on Call the Midwife in 2018 and has recently bowled over period drama fans on The Other Bennet Sister

Ella Bruccoleri has made a surprise confession about her rise to fame as a television actress.

The 36-year-old star recently appeared as the lead in the BBC One drama The Other Bennet Sister, inspired by Jane Austen’s timeless Pride and Prejudice.

Based on the popular novel of the same name by author Janice Hadlow, The Other Bennet Sister turns the spotlight onto Mary Bennet, the seemingly unremarkable middle sister in Pride and Prejudice.

Upon its March launch, the period drama became an instant hit with viewers, with some critics branding Ella’s performance “absolutely lovely” and the show a “must-watch”.

It’s no surprise that Ella captivated viewers with her portrayal of Mary Bennet, as she is no stranger to historical dramas. In 2018, the actress rose to fame when she joined Call the Midwife as Sister Frances, a role she held for 4 years.

The popular character’s final episode in 2022 saw her playing a game with the children at the Mother House to correctly guess the name she had before becoming a nun. On her way back from her day of work, she injured her shoulder after a bike crash.

While she hasn’t been seen since Sister Julienne (Jenny Agutter) sent her to Chichester to recuperate, viewers did get some closure when they learned her given name is Rosemary.

Following her exit from Call the Midwife, Ella has gone on to play Miss Barragan in the third season of Netflix’s Bridgerton and appeared in all three entries of the recent Strangers horror movie trilogy.

In 2021, she starred as Anabel Dinsdale in All Creatures Great and Small and played a nun in the series The Last Kingdom.

Enjoying great success in her career, Ella has now revealed that she struggled to watch herself on-screen during her earlier acting days, including on Call the Midwife.

She told the New York Times: “The first year of seeing myself on camera, I was just miserable because I was like, ‘I don’t think that looks like me'”. But on The Other Bennet Sister, Ella was happy to retreat from vanity and relished Mary’s characteristic of an unflattering haircut and geeky glasses.

The story of an overlooked and undervalued young woman finally realising her worth resonates with her. “I relate to her a lot, and I see a lot of her in me”, she added.

Earlier this year, Ella also opened up to the Radio Times about her feelings on her earlier work on Call the Midwife, including why she quit the role:

“When I look back at my early episodes, I’m thinking, ‘Oh, that’s not good’. I learnt screen acting on the job, and it was invaluable”, she said. “It felt crazy quitting a great job but I’d started getting different offers, and I realised I love the variety of different things.”

The Other Bennet Sister and Call the Midwife are both available to stream on BBC iPlayer