Campos-Medina backing Sherrill for governor

Patricia Campos-Medina, a progressive labor leader who ran for U.S. Senate last year, is joining Mikie Sherrill’s campaign for governor as a senior advisor and surrogate.

“Now is the time for a different type of leadership in New Jersey, and that’s why I’m endorsing Mikie Sherrill’s campaign for governor,” Campos-Medina stated.  “Mikie understands to her core what public service is about.”

Campos-Medina will be a volunteer.

Sherrill, a four-term congresswoman from Montclair, praised Campos-Medina’s “bold leadership — from the labor movement advocating for better wages to expanding democracy here in New Jersey.”

The executive director of the Worker Institute at the School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University, she has worked for SEIU, UNITE HERE, and LCLAA AFL-CIO.

Campos-Medina finished second in the Senate primary, losing to Andy Kim by a 75%-16% margin.   She won in one majority-Hispanic town, Prospect Park, carrying it 39%-38% against Kim; she also did well in Perth Amboy, Carteret, Dover, Elizabeth, Camden, and Paterson, all municipalities with significant Hispanic populations. Kim won Carteret by 20 votes; in tiny Victory Gardens, Kim won by just one vote, 26 to 25.

Campos-Medina said she expects voters to connect with Sherrill on affordability issues.

“We need a leader in Trenton who’s in this not for themselves, but for working families struggling in a changing economy: To increase wages and benefits for workers, to protect our rights and freedoms, and to provide opportunities for communities whose voices are often ignored,” said Campos-Medina.  “We need a fearless Democratic governor to stand up to Trump’s threats on New Jersey — and I am excited to hit the campaign trail for Mikie and help build a winning coalition for the Democratic primary.”