Democratic House candidate Rebecca Bennett has made the “climate crisis” a central theme of her campaign—but only after her a stock sale removed thousands of dollars in oil and gas holdings, financial records show.
Bennett, who is challenging Republican Rep. Thomas Kean in New Jersey’s swing Seventh Congressional District, launched her campaign in February. Her initial disclosure in June showed ownership of between $14,015 and $211,000 in oil and gas stocks, including ExxonMobil, Chevron, and ConocoPhillips. She sold those investments roughly six weeks later—and just one day afterward, she pledged to invest in “climate-resilient infrastructure,” declaring, “We cannot waste time addressing the climate crisis.”
By August, Bennett’s campaign website added a new section promising to “address the climate crisis by investing in renewable energy.” It states, “With smart investments in renewable energy and real environmental stewardship, we can create jobs and lower energy costs while also tackling the climate crisis.”
Bennett’s stock sale also included between $1,001 and $15,000 in Tesla shares, despite her criticism of Elon Musk for “causing chaos in government.” She divested from health care companies such as Eli Lilly and Johnson & Johnson, trimming holdings from as much as $246,000 down to $30,000.
A campaign spokeswoman defended the move, saying Bennett sold her stocks “because she believes members of Congress should not own individual stocks, and supports a stock trading ban.”
With eight Democrats competing in the primary and Republicans prioritizing the district, the controversy over Bennett’s financial timing could become a flashpoint in one of 2026’s most competitive House races.
