Tina Shah is the newest entrant to 2026’s $1-million-raised club.
Shah, one of eight Democrats competing to take on Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-Westfield) in New Jersey’s 7th congressional district, announced today that she has raised an enormous $1,017,000 since launching her campaign in July. Shah had raised $604,000 in the 3rd quarter – still the largest non-self-funded quarter of any Democrat in the race – and followed that up with a $413,000 4th quarter.
“I am so proud of the support our campaign has earned,” Shah, a physician who held roles in the Obama and Biden administrations, said in a statement. “New Jerseyans are demanding leaders who will put patients over industry profits. Our campaign is fighting to serve hardworking families, not Donald Trump’s billionaire buddies or special interests, and that’s why I will flip NJ-07 in November.”
As of the end of 2025, Shah’s campaign had close to $650,000 still on-hand. Shah is the first candidate in the state to publicly announce her 4th quarter numbers, which don’t need to be officially submitted until the end of the month.
Two other Democrats running for the 7th district hit the $1 million mark earlier in the cycle, though both have also been in the race far longer than Shah: Navy helicopter pilot Rebecca Bennett had raised nearly $1.4 million as of the end of the 3rd quarter, while businessman Brian Varela had raised just over $1 million, though more than half of Varela’s total came from self-funding.
Several of the other Democrats in the race have also raised hundreds of thousands of dollars, making for what may become the most expensive House primary in New Jersey history. In prior cycles, any candidate who could hit $1 million raised by the end of the off-year before the election would have been seen as the heavy frontrunner in their primaries; this cycle, the 7th district Democratic field already has three of them.
But after months of focusing primarily on fundraising, the many Democrats in the race will soon face a different sort of challenge: county convention season.
In the coming months, the 7th district’s six county parties are set to award their endorsements, which could help to winnow the field – though the death of the county line means that the winners will get less of a leg up than in the past. Fundraising numbers are likely to be an important factor in those endorsements, since the candidates who have raised the most will be able to argue to county committeemembers that they’re best positioned to flip the district blue.
Awaiting the eventual nominee in the general election is Kean, a tough opponent in a district that narrowly voted for Donald Trump in 2024 and Mikie Sherrill in 2025. Kean is one of the New Jersey GOP’s strongest fundraisers, having amassed nearly $2 million as of the end of last quarter.
