Today, Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of State Tahesha Way officially launched her campaign for Congress, highlighting her lifelong commitment to public service, her track record of defending democracy, and her deep commitment to fighting for New Jerseyans.

Tahesha is running for Congress because the priorities she’s spent her career fighting for – from protecting our democratic rights to tackling New Jersey’s affordability crisis – are under direct attack. Hardworking families are being crushed by Trump’s tariffs, priced out of basic necessities, and threatened by Republican efforts to dismantle our health care system. As a mother, lawyer, and public servant, Tahesha has always stood up for New Jersey families – and in Congress, she’ll fight for them every single day.

“Throughout my life, I’ve learned that when the stakes are high, you step up – not for yourself, but for the people who are counting on you,” said Tahesha Way. “I’m running for Congress because hardworking New Jerseyans deserve a representative who will fight to lower costs, protect their health care, and push back against the chaos and cruelty coming out of Washington. Families are being crushed by rising costs, MAGA politicians are attacking basic rights, and the Trump Administration continues to target our rights and freedoms. People feel like the system is stacked against them – and they’re right. But I know we can fix it if we do the work together.”

“I’ve spent my life taking on tough fights because I grew up watching my parents do the same. As the daughter of a union bus driver and a rail clerk who worked nights, I learned early what sacrifice means. When I survived a brain hemorrhage in college and had to relearn how to read after my insurance denied the therapy I needed, I became the fighter I am today – a lawyer, judge, and public servant who never backs down when families’ futures are at stake. As Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of State, I modernized our voting systems, implemented automatic voter registration, established early voting, expanded vote-by-mail while standing up to Donald Trump’s overreach, and delivered real solutions that strengthen working families like my own growing up. New Jersey doesn’t need more political theater; we need leaders who understand struggle, who stand up for our communities and deliver results. In Congress, that’s exactly what I’ll do.”

A tireless advocate for free and fair elections, Tahesha led New Jersey through one of the most consequential fights for voting rights in modern history. Her efforts as Secretary of State have earned her relentless attacks from MAGA Republicans, but delivered real progress for New Jerseyans.

As Lieutenant Governor, Tahesha signed key legislation to support families facing rising utility costs, expand mental health services for college students, strengthen tenant protections, and help small businesses grow. She has been instrumental in driving jobs and investments into New Jersey’s communities, ensuring that progress reaches every corner of the state.

After two decades of serving New Jersey families at every level of government, Tahesha enters the race with a broad coalition of support, including endorsements from the Congressional Black Caucus, the Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association and Democratic Association of Secretaries of State. In Congress, Tahesha will do what she’s always done: work to keep more money in New Jerseyans’ pockets, stand up to anyone to defend working families, and deliver real results when it matters most.

Learn more at TaheshaWay.com.

Tahesha Way is a mother, lawyer, lifelong public servant, and New Jersey’s Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of State. Raised in a working-class union household by an MTA bus driver and a rail clerk, she learned early the values of hard work, community, and speaking up for others. After surviving a life-threatening cerebral brain hemorrhage in college, she re-taught herself how to read when her health insurance refused to cover the therapy she needed.

Tahesha has served as an Administrative Law Judge and as a Passaic County Commissioner and Board of Commissioners Director, where she expanded youth justice reform, food access, and educational opportunities while balancing the budget without raising taxes. As Secretary of State, she led major voting-rights expansions and stood up to the Trump Administration’s attempts to undermine New Jerseyans’ rights. As Lieutenant Governor, she has championed affordability, mental health services, small business growth, and protections for families across the state.

Tahesha is running for Congress to protect access to health care, address rising costs, and fight for the hardworking New Jersey families who deserve a voice and a champion in Washington. She lives in Wayne with her husband, Charles, and their four daughters.