Democrat,

During his last year in office, Chris Christie already faced a reckoning from New Jersey voters who were sick of his corruption, bullying and harmful policies that were holding our state back. He garnered record low approval ratings following the Bridgegate scandal and his disastrous presidential campaign, but frustration with Christie didn’t truly boil over until he made one of the most out-of-touch decisions in political history -- spending a day sunbathing at a state beach that he had callously shut down to all other residents in the middle of a budget impasse. The indelible image of Christie sitting on the beach will go down in history, but now he’s been joined by another incredible act of political hubris after Republican Senator Ted Cruz was caught fleeing to Cancun while Texas faced an unprecedented mix of bitter cold, power outages and lack of running water that has crippled the state. 

Senator Cruz’s blunder is a reminder of why it’s so important to have true public servants in our state who we can count on to be there for us in a crisis, from Governor Murphy’s leadership during the COVID-19 crisis to our Congressional delegation’s advocacy for federal funding, to the local leaders in our own communities. While Republicans like Christie and Cruz head for the beach, Democrats roll up our sleeves and get the work done to help our people when they are in need. 

If you would like to help Texans in need during this unprecedented event, GoFundMe has set up a donation hub where you can support local organizations helping people on the ground. 

Governor Murphy announced today that the state has passed a new milestone in its vaccine distribution program, with over 1.5 Million doses now administered. This comes at a time when many vaccine distribution sites throughout the state were forced to close this week due to the winter weather, which has created short term issues with appointments being rescheduled. This includes four of the state’s six mega sites, which were closed yesterday and expect to reopen soon. 

For up to date information regarding new cases and directives regarding coronavirus, or information on vaccine registration and signup, visit the state’s dedicated COVID-19 Information Hub or follow Governor Murphy’s official pages on social media. You can also reach the state’s Vaccine Call Center at 1-855-568-0545. 

Twitter: @GovMurphy

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/governorphilmurphy/

While remaining focused on increasing vaccine supply and passing much-needed financial relief for people impacted by the COVID-19 crisis, President Biden and his team are also working on transformative policy changes in many different areas. This week, the President and Congressional Democrats announced a new immigration reform plan that would finally provide a real path to citizenship for millions of immigrants. One of the key sponsors of the “U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021” is our own U.S. Senator Bob Menendez, who called it “the most comprehensive immigration bill I’ve seen in my 20 years of trying to seek reform.” 

Our Black History Month program is continuing throughout the month, with two great panel events held this week -- our “Faith and the Democratic Party” Breakfast this past Monday and our “Celebrating Black Women Leaders” Panel last night. Both were attended by hundreds of people and helped showcase the Black women who are moving our state and our nation forward every day. We also continued our slate of highlight videos celebrating Black women leaders, which can be viewed here: https://www.njdems.org/black-history-month-week-3-wrap-up/

Our Black History Month programming will continue all month, so make sure you follow our NJDSC Facebook and Twitter pages to join us. 

Thank you,

Chairman John Currie