Dem in Trump district race scrubs social media of posts praising progressives: 'Scam artist'

FIRST ON FOX: A Democrat running for Congress in New Jersey who has been positioning herself as a moderate to unseat the sitting Republican in a pro-Trump district, has deleted several social media posts promoting progressive candidates and causes.

Democrat Rebecca Bennett, who is running in the Democratic primary to unseat GOP Rep. Thomas Kean Jr. in New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District, is a Navy veteran and current member of the Air Force National Guard who has been labeled by local media as a "moderate" in a race the Cook Political Report ranks as "Lean Republican."

A Fox News Digital review of Bennett’s X account, which was created in July 2011 and recently converted from @BigRedBecks to @RebeccaForNJ07, shows several deleted posts that seemingly drift away from the "moderate" label, including praise of progressive Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

"Love her," Bennett said in a now-deleted post about Warren in 2019. 

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"I love everything about this," Bennett said in a now-deleted post praising a video mashup of Warren to the tune of a Taylor Swift song. "(Except the misogyny that makes it real…) #TeamWarren."

Bennett has also removed posts praising former Vice President Kamala Harris, who was defeated by President Donald Trump, not only nationally, but also narrowly with voters in Kean’s district by just over one percentage point. 

"Let’s Goooooo," Bennett wrote in a now-deleted post after Harris was announced as then-former Vice President Joe Biden’s running mate in 2020. 

If elected, Bennett would serve alongside Democratic New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, who she praised in 2020, calling him the "best senator." That post has since been deleted. 

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During the civil unrest and rioting that erupted after the death of George Floyd in 2020, Bennett posted on X that she agreed in a now-deleted post with a comment from former Obama campaign strategist David Plouffe, where he said House Democrats should "hold hearings" and investigate law enforcement officials responding to the riots.

Bennett also deleted a post that appears to support the first impeachment of President Trump.

"Officially a @JasonCrowCO6 fan," Bennett posted on January 21, 2020 as the impeachment trial was unfolding where Crow ultimately voted to impeach. "I’m a vet who also didn’t have the equipment I needed to do my job, so this is personal for me too. #ImpeachmentTrial."

Fox News Digital reached out to Bennett’s team to inquire about the motivation behind deleting the X posts. 

Bennett's announcement video, which is almost two minutes long, does not mention that she is a Democrat.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) spokeswoman Maureen O'Toole said, "It’s clear Rebecca Bennett is desperately trying to run away from her past and cover up her radical, out of touch agenda."

"But New Jersey voters see right through her act and know exactly who she is: a radical scam artist who can’t be trusted."

Bennett's team, in a statement to Fox News Digital, did not address why the posts were removed but dismissed the criticism from the NRCC. 

"It’s no surprise to see the NRCC and conservative news outlets start attacking Rebecca, because they know she is a serious threat to beat Congressman Tom Kean next November and flip NJ7," Dan Bryan, senior advisor to the Bennett campaign, said. 

"Rebecca and her campaign will continue to ignore recycled bad faith attacks from right-wing outlets and focus on her record serving this country and Congressman Kean’s failure to deliver for working families in our district."

Bennett is not the first New Jersey Democrat running for Congress to face scrutiny over deleted social media posts.

Sue Altman, who was defeated by Kean in 2024, faced heated criticism for deleting social media posts that were critical of law enforcement. 

The race in NJ-07 will be closely watched in next year's midterm elections given the thin majority Republicans currently hold in the House of Representatives, where the GOP currently holds 220 seats compared to 215 for the Democrats.