On Nov. 5, Westfield residents will go to the polls. The names at the top of the ballot every voter will recognize: Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. Two rows below those figureheads of American politics, Westfield residents will have a choice for their representation in the House of Representatives, a choice between two names some voters may not be as familiar with: Democrat Sue Altman and Republican Incumbent Tom Kean Jr.

The Democrats are looking to take back the seat and are trying to do that with Altman. She is “the face of New Jersey’s progressive left” as stated by the New York Times. She is an ally of Governor Phil Murphy and former leader of the New Jersey Working Families Alliance, a liberal non-profit organization. Altman is running her campaign on anti-corruption, protecting abortion rights and increasing affordability for families. “Our young people, families and seniors all agree — whether it’s housing, groceries or gas, everything is just too dang expensive right now,” Altman said in an Instagram post.

On the other hand, Kean, a Westfield resident, has already served one term in the House of Representatives. Prior to this, he served as the State Senate minority leader, a member of New Jersey General Assembly and worked for the Environmental Protection Agency. His family has a history in New Jersey politics. Kean’s father, Tom Howard Kean, was the governor of New Jersey from 1982 to 1990 and the Kean family is the namesake for Kean University. Kean Jr.’s great-great-great-great grandfather served in the Continental Congress during the Revolutionary War.

Kean is campaigning as a pro-police advocate. In his promotional advertisement video, he is portrayed as a law and order candidate and speaks about his endorsement from police unions and his fight to increase funding for New Jersey police officers.

Both candidates support similar policies, as Altman and Kean’s campaigns work toward implementing state and local tax deductions. This will allow taxpayers to deduct certain state and local taxes from the federal taxes they pay. According to taxfoundation.org, this disproportionately benefits high-income employees in regions with high state and local taxes.

Though many Americans are currently focused on politics at the national level, this Congressional election and others throughout the country are just as important. “The control of both Congress and the Senate is hugely important because it will allow legislation to come to the floor, especially who controls Congress, because that will also determine who the speaker of the house is,” said WHS Social Studies Teacher Kim Leegan.

Currently, the Republicans control eight more seats than Democrats. Out of 12 seats from New Jersey, the seat representing the 7th Congressional District, the district that Westfield is in, is the only one deemed competitive by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Therefore, Westfield residents’ votes for the House of Representatives matter more than many of the votes in neighboring towns in non-competitive districts.

Although much attention has been devoted to the upcoming presidential election, this year’s Congressional races have proven to be equally as important for New Jersey residents.