A Berkeley Heights bank executive is seeking to take on Rep. Leonard Lance next November.
WASHINGTON -- Rep. Leonard Lance, who represents one of just 23 Republican-held congressional districts that supported Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, has gained another opponent.
Linda Weber, a bank executive from Berkeley Heights, officially announced Sunday that she would seek the Democratic nomination to take on Lance (R-7th Dist.), who is rated just a slight favorite to retain the seat by the Cook Political Report, a Washington-based publication that tracks congressional races.
"Like many Americans, especially a lot of women, I was pretty shocked and angry after the election," Weber, 53, told NJ Advance Media. "I thought it was time to act. This is the way I have chosen to give service to my country."
They're lining up to challenge Lance
She said the Republican-controlled Congress has been unwilling to stand up to Republican President Donald Trump, and she would.
"Trump's behavior really is unacceptable," Weber said. "We have a system of checks and balances for a reason in our government. My plan is to go Washington and represent the district and hold Donald Trump accountable."
Lisa Mandelblatt, a teacher in Westfield, and Scott Salmon, a lawyer from Scotch Plains, also have announced their candidacies, and Peter Jacob, who had the endorsement U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) when he ran for the seat last November, has filed to run again.
Democratic congressional candidate Linda Weber. Weber is a senior vice president at IDB Bank and a five-time chairwoman of the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life in northern Union County. She pointed to her leadership experience in those areas, as well as being one of the first women to move up the corporate ladder and run an online banking operation.
She emphasized two areas of disagreement with Lance, on the environment and on abortion rights. Lance received a lifetime score of 21 percent from the League of Conservation Voters and a 0 percent score this year from Planned Parenthood.
Lance is considered the most vulnerable of the five House Republicans in the state.
Cook rated his seat and 19 other Republican districts more competitive after House Republicans voted to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act
Inside Elections, another Washington publication that rates congressional contests, said that Lance, re-elected last fall with 54 percent of the vote, was a strong favorite for re-election but was the only New Jersey Republican incumbent potentially vulnerable.
Weber took aim at the Republican legislation that would 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.
"It's not hyperbole to say that people will die without access to health care," she said.
While Lance voted for provisions of the bill in the House Energy and Commerce Committee, he became the first New Jersey GOP House member to oppose the completed legislation once it reached the House floor. He also was one of only two House Republicans in the country to vote against legislation to make it easier for military veterans judged mentally incompetent to buy guns.
Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.