NEWARK - Workers affiliated with the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council AFL-CIO this afternoon issued a vocal endorsement of Democrat Mikie Sherrill in the governor's race.

Rich Maroko, President of the Hotel Trades Council, did the formal honors, welcoming Sherrill to the podium at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel.

“We are proud to endorse Mikie Sherrill for governor. Mikie understands what’s important to working people in New Jersey, and as governor I know she’s going to fight for our priorities. She has our back, and will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with us as we fight for better pay, better benefits, and dignity in the workplace. HTC members will be doing all they can to see Mikie win this election,” said Maroko.

A results-driven player in labor politics, Maroko oversees roughly 9,000 active members in New Jersey.

Will his allies in the union be a factor in the GOTV drive in this battleground election?

"Absolutely," Maroko told InsiderNJ. "We always ran a really robust political program. Our members are militant, active, they volunteer, they canvas, they talk to their neighbors, and they vote."

The HTC started organizing here in the state in 2015 and have been building power since, growing a comparable ground game, especially in Hudson and Essex.

Sources have noticed members moving in Middlesex, too.

“I am honored to have the support of the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council as we fight to build a more affordable Garden State. Unions built New Jersey, but with Donald Trump, their rights are under constant threat. We know that an attack on workers anywhere is an attack on workers everywhere. That’s why it’s critically important to defeat Jack Ciattarelli and his union-busting, anti-worker agenda at the ballot box this November. I won’t hesitate to stand up for New Jerseyans, and together we will ensure that the members of the HTC have the opportunity to thrive here in the Garden State,” said Sherrill.

They will be available to lend GOTV heft to the Sherrill coordinated campaign where necessary.

After her remarks to the crowd, Sherrill jumped off the stage and went hand by hand through the galvanized crowd.

President of the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council, AFL-CIO; Business Manager of Hotel, Restaurant & Club Employees and Bartenders Union, Local 6, Maroko practiced labor and employment law in New Jersey and New York before coming to the Hotel Trades Council in 2002 as General Counsel, where he created and managed the legal department. He graduated Phi Betta Kappa from the State University of New Jersey – Rutgers, earned a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania, and later earned a Masters in Labor and Employment Law with distinction from Georgetown University. He has fought cases in front of state and federal courts and before the National Labor Relations Board, the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission, and the Division of Human Rights. In 2011 he was elected Vice President of the Hotel Trades Council, and later served as Recording Secretary until 2020. Mr. Maroko has distinguished himself as a fierce negotiator and advocate for workers. As President, he is the chief executive officer of our Union.