Analilia Mejia earned a new endorsement this morning from the Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters, the first building trades union to support her in her quest to represent New Jersey’s 11th congressional district.
The endorsement from the carpenters, who had stayed neutral in the district’s special election primary earlier this month, applies to every election Mejia will face this year: the April 16 special general election against GOP nominee Joe Hathaway; the June 2 primary election, in which Mejia could face some old or new Democratic primary foes; and the November 3 general election for her first full term.
“Analilia Mejia represents the next generation of leadership that working families deserve,” EASRCC Executive Secretary-Treasurer William Sproule said in a statement. “She has a deep respect for the labor movement and understands that investing in union jobs is essential to building a strong middle class. Her commitment to economic justice and worker protections aligns with the values of our membership.”
Mejia has a background in organized labor, and the unions she’d cultivated relationships with for years were instrumental in her upset special primary victory. The Communications Workers of America, 32BJ SEIU, and 1199 SEIU all supported her early and loudly, and the result was a narrow win against several better-known and better-funded foes.
But today’s endorsement from the EASRCC, which represents more than 10,000 union members around the state, is the first clear sign that Mejia is expanding her labor support outside the progressive orbit that she knows well. Mejia, who also has the backing of nearly every member of the state’s Democratic congressional delegation, is considered the favorite to beat Hathaway in April, and currently faces no serious primary opponents in June.