The union’s delegate assembly voted Monday night to issue endorsements for the November 7 general election, affirming support for Phil Murphy for Governor, along with a slate of state legislative and AFL-CIO labor candidates.
“Elections matter and this election in particular will determine the future of this state,” said AFT New Jersey President Donna M. Chiera. “At a time when education, from prekindergarten through higher education, is under attack from free-market privatizers, access to healthcare for millions is threatened and economic justice is in peril, New Jersey has the opportunity to be one of the few—very few—states in the country with Democratic leadership to present viable alternatives.”
AFT New Jersey Committee on Political Education (COPE) chair Kay Schechter is leading the mobilizing effort and urging members to get involved. “We are focused on issues, not personalities, and asking members to consider our endorsed candidates and make decisions that benefit working families and our institutions,” she said.
Schechter and the COPE questioned candidates and made recommendations for endorsements, which the delegate assembly approved. The assembly is the highest-decision making body of the union with representation from each of the forty-three AFT locals representing approximately 30,000 education workers.
The union will be coordinating labor walks and phone bank outreach in September for voter education and get out the vote in November.
2017 AFTNJ Endorsement Recommendations
Governor
Phil Murphy (D)
| District 1
Senate
Assembly Bob Andrzejczak* (D) R. Bruce Land* (D)
District 2 Senate
Assembly John Armato (D) Vincent Mazzeo (D)
District 3 Senate
Assembly John J. Burzichelli* (D) Adam Taliaferro* (D)
District 4 Senate
Assembly Paul D. Moriarty*+ (D) Gabriela M. Mosquera* (D)
District 5 Senate
Assembly Patricia Egan Jones* (D) Arthur Barclay* (D)
|
District 6
Senate
Assembly Louis D. Greenwald* (D) Pamela R. Lampitt* (D)
District 7 Senate
Assembly Carol Murphy (D) Herb Conaway* (D)
District 8 Senate
Assembly Joanna Schwartz (D) Maryann Merlino (D)
District 9 Senate
Assembly Jill Dobrowansky (D) Ryan Young (D)
District 10 Senate
Assembly Michael B. Cooke (D) Raymond Baker (D)
|
District 11
Senate
Assembly Eric Houghtaling*+ (D) Joann Downey* (D)
District 12 Senate
Assembly Gene Davis (D) Nirav Patel (D)
District 13 Senate
Assembly Neutral
District 14 Senate
Assembly Wayne P. DeAngelo*+ (D) Daniel R. Benson* (D)
District 15 Senate
Assembly Reed Gusciora* (D) Elizabeth Maher Muoio* (D)
|
| District 16
Senate
Assembly Roy Freiman (D) Andrew Zwicker* (D)
District 17 Senate
Assembly Joseph V. Egan*+ (D) Joe Danielsen* (D)
District 18 Senate
Assembly Nancy Pinkin* (D) Robert J. Karabinchak* (D)
District 19 Senate
Assembly Yvonne Lopez (D) Craig J. Coughlin* (D)
District 20 Senate
Assembly Annette Quijano* (D) Jamel C. Holley* (D)
|
District 21
Senate
Assembly David Barnett (D) Lacey Rzeszowski (D)
District 22 Senate
Assembly Gerald “Jerry” Green* (D) James J. Kennedy* (D)
District 23 Senate
Assembly Laura Shaw (D)
District 24 Senate
Assembly Kate Matteson (D)
District 25 Senate
Assembly Thomas Moran (D) Richard Corcoran (D)
|
District 26
Senate
Assembly Neutral
District 27 Senate
Assembly John F. McKeon* (D) Mila M. Jasey* (D)
District 28 Senate
Assembly Cleopatra G. Tucker* (D) Ralph Caputo* (D)
District 29 Senate
Assembly Shanique Speight (D) Eliana Pintor Marin* (D)
District 30 Senate
Assembly Eliot Arlo Colon (D) Kevin Scott (D)
|
|
District 31 Senate
Assembly Nicholas Chiaravalloti* (D) Angela V. McKnight* (D)
District 32 Senate
Assembly Vincent Prieto* (D) Angelica M. Jimenez* (D)
District 33 Senate
Assembly Raj Mukherji* (D) Annette Chaparro* (D)
District 34 Senate
Assembly Thomas P. Giblin*+ (D) Sheila Y. Oliver* (D)
District 35 Senate
Assembly Shavonda E. Sumter* (D) Benjie E. Wimberly* (D) |
District 36 Senate
Assembly Marlene Caride* (D) Gary Schaer* (D)
District 37 Senate
Assembly Gordon M. Johnson* (D) Valerie Vainieri Huttle* (D)
District 38 Senate
Assembly Timothy J. Eustace* (D) Joseph A. Lagana* (D)
District 39 Senate
Assembly Jannie Chung (D) Annie Hausman (D)
District 40 Senate
Assembly Paul Vagianos (D) Christine Ordway (D) |
|
LABOR CANDIDATES
| Name | Union | Office Sought | ||
| Leonard Luciano* | AFT 481 | Essex County Freeholder | ||
| Michael Heller* | AFT 1904 | Bloomfield Board of Education | ||
| Edina Renfro-Michel | AFT 1904 | Boonton Alderman | ||
| Keith Kazmark* | AFT 2360 | Woodland Park Mayor | ||
| David Mayer* | AFT 2373 | Gloucester Township Mayor | ||
| Kevin Bucceroni* | AWIU 14 | Black Horse Pike Regional Board of Education | ||
| Kirk Gerety* | BAC 2 | Somers Point Council | ||
| Laura Spagnola-Vargas | CWA 1032 | Woodland Park Board of Education | ||
| Roberto Sayers | CWA 1033 | South Plainfield Council | ||
| Michele Liebtag* | CWA 1036 | Frenchtown Council | ||
| Lauren Kremper* | CWA 1038 | Edgewater Park Committee | ||
| Shawn Ludwig* | CWA 1038 | Barrington Council | ||
| James Toto* | CWA 1078 | Somers Point Council | ||
| John Kendall* | CWA/IUE 103 | Haddon Township Board of Education | ||
| Howard Miller* | IBEW 30 | Laurel Springs Board of Education | ||
| Charles Hassler* | IBEW 94 | Salem County Freeholder | ||
| Phillip Schocklin* | IBEW 98 | Deptford Council | ||
| Joseph Lukac | IBEW 102 | Manville Borough Council | ||
| Keith Misciagna* | IBEW 164 | Park Ridge Council | ||
| Wayne DeAngelo* | IBEW 269 | District 14 State Assembly | ||
| Steven DiMatteo* | IBEW 351 | Pittsgrove Board of Education | ||
| Gregory McAvaddy* | IBEW 351 | Buena Borough Council | ||
| Eric Houghtaling* | IBEW 400 | District 11 State Assembly | ||
| Joseph Egan* | IBEW 456 | District 17 State Assembly | ||
| Gina Ragomo-Tait* | IBEW 827 | Palmyra Council | ||
| Lori Brigati* | IBEW 1158 | Passaic Valley Regional H.S. District Board of Education | ||
| Ray Cibo | IFPTE 195 | Glassboro Board of Education | ||
| William Lamb* | ILA 1291 | Deptford Council | ||
| Steve Sweeney* | Ironworkers 399 | District 3 State Senate | ||
| Timothy Dougherty* | IUOE 68 | Morristown Mayor | ||
| Thomas Giblin* | IUOE 68 | District 34 State Assembly | ||
| James Gorman* | IUOE 68 | Galloway Council | ||
| Michael Martorelli* | IUOE 68 | East Hanover Council | ||
| Chris Carney | IUOE 825 | Frankford Council | ||
| Nick Civitan | IUOE 825 | Frankford Council | ||
| Wayne Richardson* | LIUNA 55 | Essex County Freeholder | ||
| Curtis Jenkins* | LIUNA 77 | Camden City Council | ||
| Frank Baldorossi, Jr.* | LIUNA 172 | Florence Council | ||
| James Kownacki* | LIUNA 172 | Lawrence Council | ||
| Fred Scheetz | LIUNA 172 | Florence Council | ||
| Mario Christina* | Roofers 30 | Delsea Regional Board of Education | ||
| George Tibbitt* | Roofers 30 | Atlantic City Council | ||
| Paul Moriarty* | SAG/AFTRA | District 4 State Assembly | ||
| Christopher Hamler* | UA 24 | Warren Hills Regional Board of Education | ||
| John Carman* | UBC 255 | Atlantic County Freeholder | ||
| Michael Ring* | UBC 255 | Absecon Council | ||
| Jonathan Young, Sr.* | UBC 255 | Camden County Freeholder | ||
| Troy Singleton | UBC 715 | District 7 State Senate | ||
| John Hall* | USW 943 | Woodstown Council |