Why I’m Backing Phil Murphy in New Jersey Governor’s Race — Hamm

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Candidate Phil Murphy. Photo–Flickr

[Op-Ed]

I urge every person who is registered to vote in the upcoming November 7th election in New Jersey. In the race for governor of New Jersey I am voting for and have given my personal endorsement to Phil Murphy for Governor and Sheila Oliver for Lieutenant Governor. I am voting for Murphy and Oliver because I believe their policies will be better for our communities than those of Kim Guadagno who has been the Lieutenant Governor of this state for the past eight years under Governor Chris Christie.

During the Democratic Primary for governor I supported Assemblyman John Wisniewski. He was the chairman of Senator Bernie Sanders campaign in New Jersey. I was a Sanders delegate to the Democratic National Convention. Assemblyman Wisniewski did well but he did not win the primary election. Since then he and the other major Democratic Primary candidates have endorsed the Murphy and Oliver team.

This is a critically important election with only two possible outcomes, a Democratic victory or a Republican one. Please do not sit it out. We need a massive voter turnout on Election Day. There are only two states in the country that have races for governor, New Jersey and Virginia. The entire nation will be watching for the outcomes in those contests.

Murphy and Oliver are running a liberal campaign while Guadagno is running a conservative one similar to Trump’s presidential campaign. Go to their respective campaign websites and examine and compare their various proposals on the important issues.

A Republican victory in New Jersey will embolden, strengthen and energize the right wing movement that has seized control of the federal government. Make no mistake about it a vote for the Republican candidate for governor, Kim Guadagno, is a vote for Trump and the Republican Party.  And a victory for Guadagno will be a victory for Trump.  A Murphy and Oliver victory will put in place a state administration more sympathetic than that of Guadagno to the plight of working and middle class people, the poor, minorities, women and other groups.

Do not take a Democratic victory for granted. Initially Murphy had a wide lead but the gap has narrowed in recent weeks. If people do not go to the polls and vote it is within the realm of possibility that we could wake up on November 8th to the news of a Guadagno victory. Don’t let that happen.

Go to the polls and vote for Murphy and Oliver on November 7th.

 

Lawrence Hamm is the chairman and founder of the People’s Organization For Progress.
 

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