An avid campaigner who went door to door districtwide in his search for committee votes and sported JFK socks as he did so, Democratic candidate for Congress in CD7 Scott Salmon of Scotch Plains dropped out of the contest today and backed former state department official Tom Malinowski.

The candidate issued the following statement:

“I am announcing today that I am suspending my campaign for New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District and endorsing Tom Malinowski to be the nominee of the Democratic Party.

“When I launched my campaign nearly ten months ago, I knew we faced an unlikely journey. Yet, I wanted to remind people that, as former Senator Paul Wellstone said, “Politics is not about power. Politics is not about money. Politics is not about winning for the sake of winning. Politics is about the improvement of people’s lives.” At a time when it is easy to be cynical about politics, it was important to remind people what government is supposed to do and why the struggle is always worth it.”

Salmon became the second candidate this month to suspend his campaign and back Malinowski. Community activist Lisa Mandelblatt was the first, pulling the plug on her campaign at a debate forum a week ago. Salmon’s departure leaves five contestants in the Democratic Primary: Berkeley banker Linda Weber, Malinowski, Summit attorney Goutam Jois, environmental activist Dave Pringle of Cranford, and Springfield social worker Peter Jacob. 

“Tom and I agree on every major issue, and I have spent enough time with him to know that he will never abandon his values, even when times are tough,” Salmon said. “As the former Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, Tom has embodied Senator Wellstone’s guiding principle throughout his career. Most importantly to me, Tom will prioritize youth engagement and activism, so that the future of our country has a seat at the table now, and I will proudly help him accomplish these goals.

“I firmly believe that this campaign has shown that it is possible to have a politics free of cynicism, and that we can have representatives who are compassionate and will work tirelessly on our behalf. But we must demand that our leaders live up to this high standard, and if they are unwilling to do so, we must replace them. The people of the 7th Congressional District deserve nothing less. To my fiancée, Remy, my family, friends, and supporters, thank you. All that we achieved would be meaningless without you. I also want to thank our county committee and chairpersons in Union, Somerset, Hunterdon, Warren, Morris, and Essex Counties for a fair, transparent, and open process. I look forward to helping the Democratic Party take back the House, and we will start by voting Rep. Lance out of office and electing Tom. I am not going anywhere, so let’s get back to work.”