New Jersey Working Families Party Endorses Down-Ballot Candidates
New Jersey Working Families Party Endorses Down-Ballot Candidates
NEW JERSEY — On Tuesday, the New Jersey Working Families Party announced its endorsement of a second slate of downballot candidates: Ras Baraka, Mayor of Newark; Bill O'Dea, Hudson County Commissioner - District 2; Alex Valdez, Hudson County Commissioner - District 9; and the PPDO Piscataway City Council Slate. The Piscataway slate includes Shantell Cherry, Ward 1; Elizabeth "Betsy" Aumack, Ward 2; Viola Stone, Ward 3; and Rashaad Couloote, Ward 4.
“The NJ Working Families Party is proud to endorse a second slate of local candidates who will stand side-by-side with working people,” said Sunni Vargas, Political Director for the New Jersey Working Families Party. “At a time when the federal government is ripping away rights from working families and attacking our communities, we need to elect bold leaders who will stand up for us. This slate of candidates will do that.”
“I am deeply grateful for the endorsement of WFP. This endorsement strengthens our collective commitment to creating real opportunities for working families; through good jobs, affordable housing, and meaningful investments in our communities,” said Mayor Ras Baraka, Mayor of Newark. “While there is still much work ahead, I am humbled to have the WFP standing with me as we continue our work to move Newark forward.”
“I’m grateful for the Working Families Party’s endorsement. I’ve built my record in county government on the same values they fight for, putting working people first,” said Commissioner Bill O’Dea, District Two, Hudson County. I’ll keep fighting for affordability, accountability, and a government that actually works for the people who live here. I look forward to working with my community partners this next term”
“I’m honored to have the support of the Working Families Party, a movement that has consistently fought for working people, strong public services, and a more just economy. I was raised in a working-class, single-parent household, and my grandmother was able to buy the home I grew up in because of her union wages, which is why WFP’s mission resonates so deeply with me,” said Alex Valdez, Candidate for Hudson County Commissioner, District 9. “Now, as I build a life with my fiancée, a public school teacher, and train to become a nurse, this work is deeply personal. This campaign is about delivering real results on affordable housing, reliable infrastructure, and protecting opportunities for working families to thrive here in Hudson County. I’m proud to stand alongside WFP in building a government that puts people first.”
"We are thrilled to be endorsed by the NJ Working Families Party, which is on the forefront of changing NJ's politics and policies. We are running for Ward Council seats in Piscataway to take action for our neighbors and fight for affordability, accountability and democracy,” said the PPDO Piscataway City Council Slate in a joint quote. “We will stand up to Trump and the MAGA agenda, end sweetheart deals with developers that drain funding from our schools and pull the plug on cronyism and nepotism in our local government. We are unbought, unbossed and unafraid, because we are Democrats Putting Piscataway Working Families First."
The New Jersey Working Families Party has become a major player in state politics since the Party defeated the corrupt county line system. Just a few months ago, the NJWFP backed its former state director, Analilia Mejia, in the special election primary for New Jersey’s 11th congressional district in an upset victory, and last week Mejia won the general election. Last year, the NJWFP elected Jersey City Mayor James Solomon and a slate of ward candidates for city council. In addition, WFP backed working-class champions who won competitive state legislative primaries in Hudson and Passaic counties: Assemblymembers Katie Brennan and Ravi Bhalla in District 32 and Assemblymembers Al Abdelaziz and Kenyatta Stewart in District 35. The Party also endorsed and supported Baraka in his second-place finish in a historic Gubernatorial primary.
Wins in these down-ballot races would build upon WFP’s success in the 2025 and 2026 elections.
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