A CHOICE FOR NJ-11 ON JUNE 2

By Justin Strickland

I’m an Army combat veteran who put my life on the line in Iraq for two years in defense of the Constitution and democracy. As a federal employee I put my life on the line in Afghanistan to defend democracy and make life better for others.

I’ve shown up in your communities, stood beside you in protests, and you’ve shared your hopes and fears with me. My commitment to you and your families is real because I’m not a typical politician. You know that character, honesty and integrity mean more to me than winning or losing any election.

I’m running for Congress again, and I’m on the Democratic primary ballot on June 2.

Even if you support another candidate for Congress, I encourage you to continue reading.

Our leaders in Washington DC shouldn’t be celebrities; they should be regular people who represent other regular people. Political celebrity is bad for democracy. It hurts democracy by minimizing the importance of a candidate’s qualifications and makes famous political endorsements a qualification in itself.

In the 2026 Democratic primary season, nationwide we’ve seen Democratic Party leaders travel from state to state to endorse and hold town halls for congressional candidates in contested Democratic primaries.

Political celebrities from outside New Jersey aren’t familiar with our Congressional district and shouldn’t be intervening in our primaries. This kind of culture doesn’t help democracy; it takes us further down the path of party machine politics and solidifies leaders already in power.

There is a real danger in promoting a culture of political celebrity and in the rise of political social media influencers. Together, they promote a group-think mindset. This phenomenon hinders dialogue and differing ideas, further polarizes our country, and fortifies division.

We must stand up and guard against becoming a “blue” version of what we have opposed the past ten years. We all know that using trolling rhetoric, focusing on grievances rather than solutions, and vilifying other points of view is wrong and dangerous. However, we are beginning to look away when those in our own party engage in this behavior. These actions are not only being excused, but folks are starting to believe they are necessary to win elections and protect our point of view. This type of political culture gives Democrats permission to believe the ends justify the means. When that happens, it becomes harder to have meaningful conversations, find common ground with those with different perspectives, and make life better for everyone in our country.

Michelle Obama famously said, “When they go low, we go high.” She was an advocate for this behavior because character and integrity matter. As Democrats, we can and should fight for democracy and policies that will improve our lives while also demonstrating character and integrity. We must be able to disagree while treating one another with dignity and respect. If you believe Michelle Obama was wrong because “we’re in a different moment in history now,” I say this, we cannot let fear of the present and future diminish our values. I believe in what President Jimmy Carter said at his inauguration, “We must adjust to changing times and still hold to unchanging principles.”

In NJ-11 we can stand up for our democracy and for our future by rejecting a political culture we know is wrong. If you believe it’s important to do so, I’m your candidate.

Why am I running for Congress? 

If you want to hear directly from me about the many reasons I’m running for Congress, you can email me at info@JustinStrickland.com and we’ll find some time to talk. Answering your questions is important to me.

We need members of Congress to represent the people and not a political machine of any type. As a member of Congress, my mission will be to make life better for regular people. I will fight for Universal Healthcare and Term Limits. I’ll stand up for all the people in New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District, defend the Constitution of the United States and focus on getting our government to help make your life better.

I will always defend and fight for democracy, and it’s the foundation for why I decided to run in the June primary. 71% of Democrats voted for candidates who didn’t win the Special Primary in February. Expecting those voters to fall in line and vote for the candidate who won with 29% of the vote does not align with democratic values. No candidate should automatically be handed a party nomination to appear on the ballot in November.

We should demonstrate our commitment to democracy by respecting the regular election cycle regardless of the previous special election. We must not forget that Democratic voters across NJ-11 signed candidate petitions in support of having four candidates on the ballot and giving voters a choice on June 2.

Democratic voters should have a choice; this is what democracy looks like.

Visit https://www.justinstrickland.com/ to learn more about me and our campaign’s specific economic policies that will make your life more affordable.

Here are some keyways in which I differ from the other three Democrats running:

• More experience in foreign policy and national security than any other candidate on the ballot.
• Proposing new Universal Healthcare legislation and extending social security benefits of a deceased spouse to the surviving spouse for two years.
• Signed a Term Limits pledge.
• Not a part of any type of political machine.
• Does not accept money from ANY Political Action Committee (PAC). That means BOTH Corporate PAC and Regular PAC money.

I’ve put my life on the line in Iraq and in Afghanistan in defense of the Constitution, for democracy, and to make life better for others. I’m a Congressional candidate with a history of standing up for what I believe is right regardless of the personal political consequences.

There has never been a better time in NJ-11 to vote on principle. If you believe, like me, that “we must adjust to changing times and still hold to unchanging principles,” I humbly ask you to support our campaign and respectfully ask for your vote in the June 2 Democratic primary.