FIRST-GENERATION AMERICAN DEAN DAFIS KICKS OFF CAMPAIGN FROM MAPLEWOOD DINER

MAPLEWOOD, N.J. - In the main dining room of the Park Wood Diner filled with working class supporters, Dean Dafis officially kicked off his people-powered campaign for the Special Election to fill Governor-Elect Mikie Sherrill’s NJ-11 seat in Congress on Saturday afternoon. The crowd cheered as he stood before them wearing a vest similar to those his mother used to make as a seamstress who immigrated to America and settled in Philadelphia.

“My parents worked multiple jobs to make ends meet and build a home for our family,” Dean recounted. “They mopped floors, cleaned dishes, did pretty much any job so that they could save up and start their own business–a diner just like the one we’re in today.”

He presented a policy platform centered on empowering working families by focusing on affordability and opportunity. “Let’s face it folks; housing is the foundation for everything. In Trenton, I work each day to help people stay in their homes. But there’s more to be done, especially while we’re at the edge of a cliff with Donald Trump and MAGA extremists leaving our state $400 million short in federal funding for social services and housing programs.”

Standing alongside him was community leader Erin Scherzer who introduced Dean as a local official who has fought for all Maplewood residents and done so through bipartisan leadership across stakeholders. In particular, she spoke of his work in getting Maplewood's community policing board established, which was the first one in a New Jersey suburb and has served as the model for other municipalities.

In closing, Dean distinguished himself from the other NJ-11 candidates, “We deserve a representative who has personal lived experience in the struggles of working and middle class families, a first-generation American who believes in the promise of the American Dream, a fighter to put people over power, community investment over markets, a change maker in pursuit of stronger safety nets for New Jerseyans."

Photos from the event are available here.