New Jersey’s 7th district is located in northwestern New Jersey. It contains parts of six different counties. The district has voted Republican in congressional elections since 1980, although it voted Democratic in the 2008 and 2016 elections for President Obama and Clinton, respectively. In the past four congressional elections, the Republican candidate has received at least 55% of the two-party vote. The district is 90.38% urban. The district’s population is 79.0% Caucasian, 5.7% African American, 10.9% Asian, 10.4% Hispanic, 0.1% Native American, and 3.1% other.

The incumbent is Republican Leonard Lance, who has served since 2009. He has also served in the New Jersey Senate and General Assembly. He is known as a more moderate Republican. His key issues include gun control, securing US borders, and equality. The Democratic candidate for this race is Tom Malinowski. Malinowski was the Washington Director for Human Rights Watch. He also served in the White House as Senior Director on the National Security Council during Clinton’s presidency. His key issues include preserving Obamacare, gun control, and environmental protection.