Michael Roth for Congress Launches Economic Leaders for Michael with Endorsements from Senior White House, Congressional, Commerce Department, and New Jersey Economic Leaders

Westfield, NJ – Today, Michael Roth for Congress announced the launch of Economic Leaders for Michael, a coalition of respected economic leaders backing Michael Roth’s campaign to deliver jobs and affordability for New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District. The coalition’s founding endorsers include:

• Don Graves, Former Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Commerce
• Earl Pomeroy, Former Congressman, North Dakota, former President of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners
• Bharat Ramamurti, Former Deputy Director of the National Economic Council, Former Top Economic Policy Advisor for Senator Elizabeth Warren
• Kevin Quinn, Former Board Chair of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, Former Senior Relationship Director at the U.S. Department of Commerce’s CHIPS Program Office

Together, these leaders bring decades of experience across job creation, healthcare, housing, and tax policy. Their support reflects a shared belief that Michael Roth has the rare combination of values, federal government experience, and economic expertise needed to make Washington and the economy work for working families in New Jersey.

“This election will come down to one question: who can deliver an economy that works for people like us?” said Michael Roth. “These leaders have been in the room when the stakes were highest. They know what it takes to create jobs and make life more affordable and I’m honored to have their support.”

Endorsement Statements

Don Graves served as the Deputy Secretary of Commerce, leading on issues including national security, industrial strategy, and place-based economic development. He also served as the Economic Growth Coordinator for Puerto Rico; a Commissioner of the Helsinki Commission; Deputy Assistant to the President, Obama-Biden Administration; Economic Policy Director for then-Vice President Biden; Deputy Assistant Secretary for Small Business, Community Development, and Housing Policy at the U.S. Department of the Treasury; U.S. Federal Representative to the G7 Task Force on Social Impact Investment; Counselor to President Joe Biden during the 2020 presidential campaign.

About Michael and his experience in the federal government, Mr. Graves stated, “I’ve said this before: The role of government is to support and protect its people, and to make sure that everyone who has a hope and a dream also has the opportunity to turn that dream into a life of dignity. No one else in the race for New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District understands how to make that a reality better than Michael Roth. His unparalleled experience leading a federal agency to swiftly and successfully address the most pressing economic crisis for small businesses of our time, all while penning parts of the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and navigating the power players in Congress, Governors’ Mansions, and Mayoral Chambers means that he is the best person to tackle the affordability and economic crisis New Jerseyans are facing today and deliver on it.”

Fmr. Congressman Earl Pomeroy is an attorney, and served North Dakota for nine terms as their at-large Representative. Mr. Pomeroy is also the former President of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, former Insurance Commissioner of North Dakota, and a former North Dakotan State Representative. Mr. Pomeroy has focused on health policy issues throughout his 30 years of elected office at the state and federal levels. He has played a notable role in advancing available and affordable insurance coverage for children, families and seniors.

Mr. Pomeroy said, regarding the current state of the federal government, “This Congress has been on the warpath against longstanding health insurance programs critical to tens of millions of American families. The soaring premiums being experienced starting in 2026 are a direct result of the Republican Congress refusing to help families on modest budgets secure health insurance premiums they can afford.  Additionally, more cuts are in store for New Jersey’s Medicaid families when the legislation already enacted takes effect next year. The result of this assault will be to rip away protection from ruinous medical costs for tens of thousands of New Jersey families. They will be forced to drastically shrink their protection, leaving them exposed to ridiculous deductibles and copayments or even drop the coverage altogether. This cannot be allowed to stand. It’s time for a change – and that change is Michael Roth.”

Bharat Ramamurti served as Deputy Director of the National Economic Council in the Biden-Harris Administration. In that role, he worked with Congress to secure the enactment of several landmark pieces of economic legislation, and helped lead the Administration’s efforts on small business, student debt, competition policy, broadband, housing, and more. Before joining the Administration, he was appointed as a Member of the Congressional Oversight Commission for the CARES Act by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. He previously served as the top banking and economic policy advisor for Senator Elizabeth Warren, including during her presidential campaign. He is a graduate of Harvard College and Yale Law School.

Mr. Ramamurti said, “I’m proud to endorse Michael Roth because I saw firsthand how he helped lead the effort to save small businesses during the height of the COVID crisis, when millions of livelihoods were on the line. Michael is tough, decisive, and knows how to get things done in Washington. He understands how economic policy actually affects people’s lives. At a time when families are struggling under Donald Trump’s economy, Michael is exactly the kind of Democrat we need in Congress, and someone who will be effective on Day One.”

Kevin Quinn who served as Board Chair of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) from 2019 to 2023 and as a Senior Relationship Director at the U.S. Department of Commerce’s CHIPS Program Office where he was the Program’s leader for the TSMC, Samsung, SK Hynix and Amkor awards.

Prior to his government service, he was employed at Goldman, Sachs & Co. where he worked with high tech companies in the firm’s investment banking division. Mr. Quinn served in a number of senior roles in Goldman Sachs’ New York, San Francisco and Tokyo offices where he was a Partner of the firm, and has been a gun violence prevention advocate for over 25 years. He served on the Board of Brady, the nation’s oldest gun violence prevention organization from 2016 to 2023. He and his wife, Jane, reside in Short Hills, NJ.

Mr. Quinn shared his support of Michael to uplift small business owners, saying, “Too often, but justly, government is seen as an impediment to small business owners – excessive regulation and paperwork; arcane systems; and unresponsive bureaucrats. Michael and I have seen government work effectively for businesses – large and small. Through his experiences in leading the U.S. Small Business Administration and Next Street, an economic development organization, Michael knows how to make government work for business people – elimination of unnecessary regulations, ease of access and awareness of helpful government programming and a responsive bureaucracy. I am endorsing Michael Roth for Congress because I believe that he has the experiences and character to help make our federal government work better for business owners.”

New Year, New Movement

With his Bringing It Home for the Holidays tour, recent slate of Summit endorsements, and closing December with the strongest fundraising month since his launch quarter, Michael Roth has been propelled into the new year with major upward momentum. And with both national leadership and local champions standing behind him to take on the affordability and economic crisis with decisive action, Michael Roth is starkly contrasted with Tom Kean Jr., and best positioned to defeat him in the general midterm election this November.

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To learn more about Michael Roth’s campaign to bring it home for New Jerseyans, visit www.MichaelRothForCongress.com.