“New Jersey, I am so excited to be able to say that we have delivered a people powered victory. It is time for us to focus on what really matters: unrigging this economy, making sure we reclaim our democracy, and it starts right now. I am so thrilled to have the opportunity to engage with all of y’all right now and I cannot wait to join together, join our Democratic Party, so that we can fight and win the true problem: MAGA extremism,the ideological takeover of our nation, and together, we’re going to do it. So Democrats, we party today and then tomorrow we actually tackle what we must. Thank you so much.”
“When we started this thing, we jumped in, and I say we because there is no I, there is no me, without us, without you, so first, thank you! I want to thank the amazing volunteers who at 6 in the morning were hitting train stations and making coffee and hot chocolate. I want to thank my incredible sister from another mister, Camille Rivera who when I called her was like – you crazy? And I said yes. Don’t you know?
“My brothers, James G and J. Red.
“My union family! 1199. CIR.
“My incredible movement – my movement family. Make the Road!
“And of course WFP!
“The national organizations – ya’ll they’re trying to say that our people powered movement was too small, too late, unfunded – that somehow we couldn’t. In fact, they called it. But -- here’s the bottom line. We know that our movement, this party, this moment, calls on every one of us to be big and bold and brave. And that’s what we are about.
“I want to – I honestly want to tell you that to face off millions of dollars. To know that we were building the plane while we were flying it. To know that we have only been in this race for 12 weeks.
“Y’all if we had two more weeks, I don’t even know!
“More importantly – I think this is just a testament that this is what voters in New Jersey’s 11th congressional district want.
“We are so sick and tired of being sold an idea that proximity to power is power.
“We are tired of being sold the idea that we have to settle because somehow our pain, our needs, our desires have to be put on the shelf while we allow big special interests, while we allow people who have no integrity - I’m not saying my opponents, I’m saying those funders. That those people, that those interests, somehow trump all of us, and that is some bullshit!
“I’ve been a staffer enough to know that I forgot to thank somebody.
“But here’s the bottom line y’all: tonight we celebrate -- tomorrow we continue to organize. What happens in Jersey cannot stay in Jersey. We must ensure that they count every single vote. But it sure looks hoppin to me!
“In the end, we’re not going to get ahead of what’s important, though. What’s important is that we have to rebuild our party, we have to rebuild what is happening in our nation. We have to reclaim our democracy. We know that our economy is rigged to suit the billionaires.
“We know that oligarchs are willing to trade our democracy for another 0 in their offshore bank account. We will fight that. We know that they are willing to try to tell us not to believe our eyes.
“We will fight that!
“But tonight – I think we’ll celebrate. I think we’ll listen to some Bad Bunny!”
