Democrat,

This has been an eventful week in politics, with the presidential primary continuing and the Trump administration caught in yet another abuse of power scandal involving political interference in the Justice Department. But here in New Jersey, Democrats are working hard on the priorities we share -- read more below in this week’s Chairman’s Update!

On Monday, we announced that Saily Avelenda has joined our team as the new Executive Director of the NJDSC. One of New Jersey’s most respected and dedicated grassroots progressive leaders, Saily previously served as a founding member and Executive Director of NJ 11th for Change and played a major role in electing Rep. Mikie Sherrill. Saily will help our party forge even closer relationships with the grassroots advocates fighting for change every day, and I am excited to work closely with her to make our party even stronger.

Since taking office in 2018, Governor Murphy has been working closely with our federal representatives to move forward on the Gateway tunnel project to build desperately needed new train tunnels under the Hudson River. While the Trump administration has still failed to provide the funding needed to move the project forward, this week major progress was made on securing federal funding to replace the Portal Bridge, which is a vital component of improving our transit system in its own right. This century old bridge over the Hackensack River causes many of the delays NJ TRANSIT riders deal with on a regular basis, and replacing it will have a major positive impact on our transit system while Governor Murphy continues to push for the full Gateway project.

Rep. Mikie Sherrill is a steadfast advocate for stronger gun safety laws to stop the mass shootings that have continuously shocked the nation. This week she was endorsed for re-election by Giffords: Courage to Fight Gun Violence, the advocacy group founded by former Rep. Gabby Giffords who said: “Once elected, Congresswoman Sherrill fearlessly pushed forward, making the fight for gun violence prevention a signature issue for the Congressional majority. Because of her efforts, Congress passed historic legislation, H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act. She knows the fight isn’t done. We’ve got her back so we can continue to have a gun safety majority in Congress.”

Thank you,

Chairman John Currie