John,

Today is the ten-year anniversary of when I took my first oath of office as New Jersey’s junior United States Senator.

In the Senate chamber, my mother, Carolyn, held the Bible while I raised my right arm and repeated the oath of office to then-Vice President Biden.

As Vice President Biden administered my oath, I thought of all the sacrifices my mother and father had made.

My mom’s activism during Civil Rights Movement sit-ins and marches.

My parents’ resolve to desegregate our neighborhood in New Jersey and give their boys a better life.

The history of the moment was not lost on me.

But as I reflected on all of the sacrifices my parents and so many others had made to help get me to the Senate chamber, I was also reminded of the issues that New Jerseyans had sent me to Washington to address in that 2013 special election.

Civil and voting rights. Reproductive freedom. LGBTQ+ equality. Criminal justice reform. Saving our planet. And making the economy work for everyone.

We’ve made a lot of important progress in the last ten years. Not a day has gone by when I don’t think about how far we still have to go.

We drink deeply from wells of liberty and opportunity that we did not dig, and we owe a debt that we can’t pay back — but must pay forward.

That is what I will continue to do for as long as I am able. And I hope you will continue along this path with me as we continue forward.

With love and gratitude,

Cory