Two Democrats have thrown their hats into the ring 18 months before Election Day.
WASHINGTON -- Rep. Leonard Lance, one of only 23 House Republicans representing a district carried by Hillary Clinton last fall, already has drawn two opponents for his 2018 re-election bid.
Lisa Mandelblatt, a teacher in Westfield ,and Scott Salmon, a lawyer from Scotch Plains, are vying for the Democratic nomination for an election still 18 months away.
Both are making their first tries for public office though neither are political neophytes, having worked on other campaigns before running themselves.
Still to be heard from is the 2016 Democratic nominee, Peter Jacob, who was the only New Jersey congressional candidate to be endorsed by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). Jacob said in February that he was "pretty positive" that he would run again.
Lance (R-7th Dist.) was the first New Jersey Republican to oppose the House GOP's efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act with legislation that could cover 24 million fewer Americans by 2026 and allow states to seek a waiver to the federal ban on insurers charging higher premiums for policyholders with pre-existing conditions such as cancer or diabetes.
"I'm confident that my views are the views of a significant majority of the residents of the district," said Lance, who was re-elected with 54 percent of the vote last November.
Two Washington-based publications that track congressional races, Inside Elections and the Cook Political Report, both said Lance is strongly favored to win re-election but it's not a safe seat.
The two announced Democratic candidates said the election of Donald Trump, who was backed by Lance, was the catalyst for their candidacies.
Mandelblatt, 53, said she listened to President Barack Obama's farewell address in January, where he said, "If you're disappointed by your elected officials, grab a clipboard, get some signatures, and run for office yourself."
She then attended the Women's March on Washington the day after Trump's inauguration.
"I decided to grab a clipboard," Mandelblatt said.
Salmon, 27, called Trump's election "the breaking point" and decided that he needed to run against a lawmaker who endorsed the GOP nominee.
"It was something I felt I had to do," Salmon said.
Last year, 11 of the 12 House incumbents from New Jersey were returned to office. The only exception was Republican Scott Garrett, who was defeated by Democrat Josh Gottheimer.
Gottheimer set a New Jersey fundraising record by taking in $4.8 million for his campaign for his campaign. Mandelblatt and Salmon both said were working on raising enough money to compete with Lance. Salmon said he's already raising money online.
Lance, who faced a GOP primary challenge, spent $1.3 million while Jacob spent $305,886, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a Washington-based research group. Lance began his 2018 campaign with a financial head start of $205,391, his bank account balance as of March 31.
Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.