A first-time political candidate, Kennedy, 41, is a former history teacher who was a mental health advocate with her husband through the Kennedy Forum before she announced her House bid in January.

If the twice-married mother of five wins on Nov. 3, she’ll become the first Camelot wife elected to public office. She would also be only the second congresswoman whose husband served in the House to do so while he was still alive but the first female member to represent a different state from her spouse.

Although she has a dynastic last name, Kennedy emerged victorious from her hard-fought primary without establishment support; however, she did earn New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s endorsement. Instead, she relied on backing from public employee unions and liberal groups.

Van Drew, a Republican who defected from the Democratic Party in 2019 over President Trump’s impeachment, has become a high-profile figure in his new party. The former local and state lawmaker’s been the beneficiary of GOP donors as the first-term congressman vies for votes in the district Trump clinched in 2016 by 4.6 percentage points after former President Barack Obama carried it in 2008 and 2012 by 8 points.

Trump has cast a shadow over the Kennedy-Van Drew contest, the president featuring in ads cut by both sides and Van Drew speaking before him at the 2020 Republican convention. Conservatives in the district, particularly those who identify as being working class from its more rural regions, care about issues such as gun rights. Kennedy, meanwhile, is stumping on policies addressing mental health, the environment, and the economy.