TAMARA HARRIS CONGRATULATES CONGRESSMAN RODNEY FRELINGHUYEN ON DOING THE RIGHT THING AND WISHING HIM WELL IN RETIREMENT 

(Verona, NJ) – Today Tamara Harris, the Democratic candidate for Congress in New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District, issued the following statement in response to the retirement of Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen: 

“This retirement is not surprising and is further validation that force-ripening the primary process in this race is not a sound strategy. The Democratic primary is far from over, and in fact it is just beginning.”  

The open seat in the 11th Congressional district means that Democratic candidates must earn the nomination the hard way. Candidates need a level playing field and it is time to empower the voters of the district and trust that they are able to choose a candidate who will energize the base and create the momentum needed to win in the general election against the GOP’s candidate. It’s time for an open primary where all the Democratic candidates will run on one ballot line. Let voters decide who is the best to fill the seat. Putting people first and putting people before politics, is truly the progressive way. 

So, I am calling on all of the candidates, regardless of whether they’ve received party backing or not, to run together with me in an open primary. There is change afoot in this district, and we need to do everything we can to ensure that there is enough momentum coming out of the primary to win in the general election. I will continue to take my message to the people and to demonstrate why this is the right time for change, why this is the right race to run, and why I am the right candidate for all the people of the NJ11 District.