By Anne Levin
After hearing from the 14 men and 3 women who are declared Democratic candidates in the N.J.-12 Congressional race for the seat being vacated by longtime Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, the Princeton Community Democratic Organization (PCDO) voted on Sunday, February 15 to endorse Sue Altman, who is currently the state director for U.S. Sen. Andy Kim.
The packed gathering was held in the Suzanne Patterson Center. Charlie Stile, veteran political reporter from the Bergen Record, was the moderator, guiding the candidates through a series of questions and a yes-or-no lightning round before voting got underway.
Registered PCDO members were allowed to vote and rank the candidates. PCDO bylaws dictate that at least 60 percent is needed for an endorsement, and Altman won with 65.3 percent of the votes. Adam Hamaway, a Princeton physician, came in second, while Princeton University Professor Sam Wang was third.
Biographies of the candidates were provided before the meeting, and no opening statements were made. They represented a wide range, from some with no political experience to current Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson. The unusually large number of candidates required splitting them into two groups alphabetically.
Stile opened by asking the candidates for their “elevator pitch” in their first meeting with the House speaker. Altman said, “The people of New Jersey are pissed off. We’re sick and tired of politics as usual,” adding, “We have to do things differently in this House and we have to do things differently in Washington. We have to move money out of politics and make the economy fair.”
Hamaway said that as a doctor, father, veteran, and humanitarian, he is not a politician. He would tell the speaker, “We need people in Congress to stand up, check the administration, work for the people and working families, and not for the billionaires and corporations.”
Asked about whether supporting the abolition of ICE would risk alienating moderate voters, each candidate was critical of the agency. But some did not recommend getting rid of it altogether.
“I’m the guy who can change an institution and I’m not afraid to try,” said candidate Rick Morales, a doctor and military veteran, who recommended reforming rather than abolishing ICE. Reynolds-Jackson said she thought ICE should be defunded. She criticized the Immigrant Trust Act currently under consideration in the New Jersey Legislature as lacking enough protections for people with temporary protected status.
Other controversial topics included housing affordability, healthcare, climate change, and aid to Israel. Several candidates referred to Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide, including Elijah Dixon, who said he wants “not a single red penny going to Israel” and compared the situation in Gaza to the experiences of Blacks in the United States.
Candidate Brad Cohen defended Israel and said that aid should not be limited. Altman referred to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a war criminal, and said she prays Israel has elections this year where he is overthrown and brought to justice.
Endorsement by the PCDO provides public exposure to candidates, but does not have a technical impact on elections. The organization was founded in 1965. Voting membership is open to all registered Democrats residing in Princeton and affiliate membership is available to any registered Democrat in New Jersey.