Five chapters of Indivisible, the grassroots progressive organization formed in the wake of Donald Trump’s first victory in 2017, have endorsed Michael Roth for Congress in the 7th congressional district.
Roth has the least money of any of the four Democrats running against Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-Westfield), but his campaign has long countered that he’ll have grassroots support to make up for it. Today’s endorsements from Indivisible Garden State Values, Indivisible Lambertville/New Hope, Long Valley Indivisible, Indivisible Rahway, and Warren County Action Together Indivisible – spanning four of the district’s six counties – will be a critical piece of that strategy.
“Endorsement is not something we take lightly. It was important to us to ensure that our process was transparent and that our community was equipped to make an informed choice,” Indivisible Lambertville/New Hope’s Laura Bush said in a statement. “That process made it possible for our community to choose a candidate who closely aligns with our values, who will fight to defend those values, and who truly values the grassroots. That’s what we see in Michael Roth.”
Some of that grassroots energy already manifested itself at Democratic county conventions in February and March. While rival candidate Rebecca Bennett won the party endorsements in the district’s four largest counties, Roth put up strong showings in Hunterdon and Morris Counties despite having little institutional backing; in Morris, he finished only six votes behind Bennett in the final round.