The Ocean County Democratic Women’s Caucus exists because there is an urgent need for women to assume positions of leadership within the political power structure. Our mission is to recruit, train, and support qualified women candidates at every level of the Democratic Party, as well as male allies who fight for women’s rights. This mission has never been more crucial than it is right now, because national leaders are bolder than ever in their attacks on women’s rights, bodies, and autonomy. Examples abound in daily headlines, from Supreme Court nominees to religious leaders , to Congressmen , and beyond.

We believe that the current crisis in leadership will be alleviated when more women have “a seat at the table,” but we also recognize that it’s not just about gender. Rather, it is about finding and electing leaders with integrity, who are willing to put the well-being of the people they serve above their own ego-driven agendas. Unfortunately, here in Ocean County we have had a recent spate of incidents that do not reflect the highest principles of the Democratic Party, the Ocean County Democrats, or the Women’s Caucus.

As a Caucus of the Ocean County Democratic Party, we want to make it clear that we do not support Theodore Price as the Democratic Candidate for Ocean County Freeholder, nor do we support Bob Hugin for US Senate. Although Hugin is strategically attempting to distance himself from President Trump, the fact of the matter is that Hugin was a Trump delegate to the 2016 Republican National Convention. In addition he was finance chairman for Trump’s New Jersey campaign and donated $100,000 to a pro-Trump super PAC and more than $100,000 to the Republican National Committee. We will not support a candidate that votes in lock-step with the current administration’s agenda, which aims to take women’s rights backward.

The Ocean County Democratic Women’s Caucus endorses Senator Bob Menendez for US Senate. Senator Menendez is the lead Senate sponsor of the Equal Rights Amendment. He has been a crucial advocate for women’s health care and access to preventative health services. Menendez also authored the Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act, part of the Affordable Care Act, to educate women about the signs and symptoms of postpartum depression and to conduct research to expand our understanding of the causes of, and treatments for, postpartum conditions. Importantly, Senator Menendez also has been instrumental in securing funding for Sandy recovery efforts, which directly and profoundly benefits residents of Ocean County.

Right now the focus of our caucus is on supporting our local women Democrat candidates:
Sarah Reichenbecher for Point Pleasant Boro Council, Shawn Judson for Lacey Township Committee, Janit Buccella for Ocean Township Committee, and Joanne Sitek, Nicole Downs, and Denise Pobicki for Stafford Township Council. If you share our belief that “all politics is local” and that women must be better represented in positions of leadership across the board, please donate to the caucus, which will enable us to fund these campaigns. If you’d like to join or donate to the caucus, you can do so here: https://secure.piryx.com/donate/wKL2EZlU/OceanDems/womensmembership.

Follow us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/OCladies/) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/ocdwc/) to learn more about the candidates and stay up to date on meetings and events. Our next event is a self-care workshop, including 45 minutes of guided meditation/relaxation followed by a social hour with refreshments. This workshop will be held on September 19th from 7 to 9pm (location TBA), and the cost is $25. In October the caucus will host a Her Future Coalition (https://www.herfuturecoalition.org/) Jewelry Party – the funds from jewelry purchased go to survivors of human trafficking and gender violence. The cost to attend, $25 per person, will go directly to our local women candidates. The date and location will be announced.

For questions or more information about the Ocean County Democratic Women’s Caucus, please contact Emma Mammano at emmamammano62@gmail.com.