Congressional Candidate Who Made 'no Negativity' Pledge Sought Help Finding Dirt On Rival

Brian Varela, a businessperson running for the Democratic nomination in New Jersey's most competitive House race, recently announced a “no negativity” pledge in which he would focus on issues, not attacks against fellow Democrats.

"Democrats can't waste time and energy tearing each other down when the fight to flip the House is too important," Varela, who has reported self-funding his campaign with $1.15 million in loans, said in a press release.

But despite the pledge, Varela approached several of his opponents’ campaigns with a proposition: Pool their money to dig up dirt on rival Rebecca Bennett, who’s seen as the closest thing there is to a frontrunner in this field of eight candidates seeking to take on Republican Tom Kean Jr. in the 7th Congressional District in November.

All of them rejected the offer.

POLITICO spoke to staff or candidates from three rival Democratic campaigns about Varela’s offer. Two officials from ongoing campaigns confirmed it and were granted anonymity to speak candidly about an opponent's strategy behind the scenes. Sara Sooy, a Somerset County commissioner who ran before dropping out on Jan. 29 and endorsing Bennett, was also approached with the offer personally by Varela, she said.

“The objective of direct attacks was clear when he called asking to ‘split opposition research fees directed at Rebecca Bennett’,” Sooy told POLITICO in a text message. “Since none of the other candidates agreed to coalesce with him, he decided to put out a press release with a no attack pledge. It’s disingenuous and harmful for a good Democrat who can face Tom Kean. I do not believe in tearing down a woman who has honorably served our country with a shared mission. Let’s focus on the real fight.”

Emmett Shell, Varela’s campaign manager, said the campaign had heard Bennett was shopping negative information about Varela to the press, and emphasized that the “no negativity” pledge — first made at a Jan. 11 candidate forum — hinged on not being attacked first.

“After January 11, hearing about likely attacks from Ms. Bennett, we did prepare to be able to respond in compliance with the terms of the no-negativity pledge,” Shell said.

Shell said Varela believes Democrats “should run positive primary campaigns and focus on what Democrats care about most: beating Tom Kean Jr. and reversing Trump’s harmful agenda.”

“Our campaign has asked every Democratic candidate in this race to sign a no-negativity pledge, which stated that we would not attack other Democrats unless attacked first. So far, no other campaign has agreed to this pledge.”

Bennett campaign manager Om Savargaonkar in a statement said “we wish Mr. Varela all the best, but we will remain fully focused on flipping CD7 this November.”

The 7th District is New Jersey's most competitive and is among Democrats' best chances to flip the House. The winner of the June primary will likely get substantial outside resources in trying to unseat Kean.

Business scrutiny

Though Varela was little-known when he started the campaign — he ran for Congress in a different district in 2022 but was booted from the ballot when most of his petition signatures were invalidated — he has won many endorsements from elected and Democratic Party officials around the 7th District, including from one of New Jersey’s rising progressive stars: Newark Mayor Ras Baraka.

But Varela’s endorsements in the primary have drawn attention to the little-known businessman’s record, including an ongoing lawsuit against him for allegedly racking up six-figures worth of unpaid bills in his former beauty spa business, then leaving the woman he sold it to holding the bag.

Diane Ahn, who in 2024 bought the company Spa Society from Varela, is now being sued by Allergan Aesthetics for $143,481.48 in unfulfilled payments and interest on a “CoolSculpting System” — money her lawyer says Varela never told her he owed. Last fall, Ahn filed a cross-claim against Varela, arguing if anyone owes the money, it’s him.

But Varela’s attorney in court documents claims Ahn was aware of the unpaid bills when she purchased his company, and that she actually owes him money because she never delivered on a contractual promise to give him free monthly facials and massages, along with at-cost “injectable services” for his wife.

The lawsuit, first filed in 2024, has been wending its way through state Superior Court as Varela, who also owns a chain of day care businesses, seeks office.

Allergan sold Varela’s company the system for $131,000 in January 2022 on a pay-as-used basis, in which Varela’s company would gradually pay it down as he used it.

In a statement, Shell said that Varela “fully met” his purchase agreement for the machine. His campaign provided excerpts of credit card statements showing payments to Allergan from January 2022 to April 2023.

"While Brian owned the company, it had an agreement with Allergan regarding payments that it fully met. During the time of Brian's ownership, the company made over $100,000 in payments to Allergan for supplies related to the use of the machine, no lawsuit was brought and it continued to have an ongoing productive relationship with Allergan,” Shell said.

"Brian is a successful, self-made, small-businessman," Shell said. "Any attack saying that he acted in any way other than upstanding in his businesses is patently false."

Varela’s attorney countered in a legal filing that Ahn was aware of the liability attached to the machine by pointing to a list of assets Varela claims to have sent Ahn when he sold her the company. Included was the CoolSculpting machine with the notes: “Purchased 1 year ago, pay as you use. $137k balance, no payments made yet.” According to Allergan’s lawsuit, Spa Society used the machine from from January 2022 to April 2023 — when Varela was its sole owner — and “failed to tender payment for the invoice.”

Ahn purchased an 80 percent stake in Spa Society from Varela in July 2023, and the remaining 20 percent in January 2024, according to the lawsuit — well after the period of alleged delinquent payments Allergan is suing for.

According to Ahn’s counter-claim against Varela, when she purchased the company, Varela told her he knew of no “threatened proceedings, litigations, or claims against him or Spa Society” and that he agreed to “indemnify and defend” her against any claims related to agreements made when he led the company.

Attorneys for Ahn and Allergan did not respond to requests for comment.