That sinking feeling: another deadly shooting in our country. Followed by the predictable reaction from legislators: hand-wringing, thoughts and prayers, return to business as usual.

There were almost 500 firearm deaths in New Jersey in 2016, despite our relatively strong gun laws - laws which residents in our district support.

Mikie Sherrill stood shoulder to shoulder with courageous young neighbors in our district at the Morristown March for Our Lives rally. She is firmly committed to a federal assault weapons ban and other common-sense measures and has vowed to work tirelessly “to save lives and help find responsible solutions to America’s gun violence crisis.”  

#42moredays  #votesherrill

A large majority in our district support a woman’s access to abortion. Yet members of Congress have been orchestrating an “all-out assault on women’s healthcare, working to restrict access to reproductive freedom,” says Mikie Sherrill.  

Jay Webber, Sherrill’s opponent, was endorsed by New Jersey Right To Life PAC and wants to deny women their rights. Mikie Sherrill, mother of four, says, “The federal government should have no say on when, how, or with whom women decide to start or grow a family.”

#43moredays  #votesherrill

With 47 days to go till Election Day, here’s a totally-not-fun collection of reasons to steer clear of the GOP nominee for NJ-11, courtesy of our political director Elizabeth Juviler. For more specifics, check out his record at VoteSmart.org. 

Some of Jay Webber’s not-so-greatest hits in the state Assembly:

AGAINST fair Economy for Women and working families

• Voted AGAINST Equal Pay for Equal Work, one of 2 votes against pay equity and workplace discrimination.
• Voted against expanding wind and solar facilities in NJ
• Voted against increasing Earned Income Tax Credit for working families in NJ
• Voted against mortgage counselors and mediators during the mortgage crisis even though NJ had the HIGHEST foreclosure rate in the country
• Voted against paid family leave for people with new or ailing family members

55 years after the Equal Pay Act was signed into law, the gender pay gap is alive and well, especially for women of color. Black women earn $.63 for every dollar earned by their white male counterparts; Native American women $.57; Latina women $.54; and white and Asian women $.79 and $.87, respectively.

Responding to her opponent’s vote against equal pay for equal work, Mikie Sherrill said, “In 2018 it is hard to believe that any legislator would vote against ensuring women get equal pay for equal work...I am deeply disappointed that... Webber chose to vote...against legislation that would give the women of New Jersey a well-deserved raise.”

Sherrill has distinguished herself in traditionally male-dominated fields, as a navy fighter pilot and federal prosecutor.

#57moredays #votesherrill

NJ FamilyCare — our state’s publicly funded health insurance program — provides low-cost health coverage for eligible children so they can get routine check-ups, immunizations and dental treatment to keep them healthy. More than 800,000 New Jersey children are currently served by this program. No thanks to Jay Webber. He voted against the FamilyCare Expansion bill that set the stage for guaranteeing better health care for these vulnerable youngsters. Webber also supports repealing the Affordable Care Act.

#61moredays #votesherrill

The current Administration and U.S. Congress have been pounding away at the Affordable Care Act, reversing substantial progress made toward quality and affordable healthcare for all. Our district cares deeply about healthcare—including opposing cuts to Medicaid and supporting Planned Parenthood. Mikie Sherrill says we need to “stabilize the healthcare marketplace,” “protect the hard-won gains in our healthcare system...includ[ing] protections for pre-existing conditions and the ten essential health benefits,” “allow Medicare to leverage its buying power to negotiate lower drug prices” and “find a fiscally responsible way to allow certain individuals older than 55 the option of buying into Medicare.”

#64moredays #votesherrill

Electricity production is the #1 source of greenhouse gases, accounting for more than driving and flying combined.  A bipartisan team of former New Jersey governors warned environmental protections are fundamental to our health and well-being. New Jersey legislators have passed laws to protect us against unregulated pollutants that increase health risks. But not Jay Webber. He voted against a bill to improve and expand the state’s renewable energy sources. Fortunately, the bill passed anyway with bipartisan approval. 

#68moredays #votesherrill

New Jersey stands out in protection of its diverse natural resources – from the beaches of Atlantic County to the mountains of Sussex County. With climate change upon us, these resources are increasingly vulnerable. Congress is determined to roll back bipartisan progress on environmental and energy issues, so this issue is more critical than ever. Mikie Sherrill knows that “[c]limate change is real and...shouldn’t be a partisan issue.”

“With 130 miles of coastline, New Jersey will pay a terrible price if we don’t take meaningful action to end our reliance on foreign fuels and transition to a clean energy economy,” says Sherrill.

#70moredays #votesherrill

Do you smell something burning? We sure do. And you know what it is?  Jay Webber’s pants. Because they’re on fire!

So what's on the malarkey menu this week for Jay?

Webber Whopper #1:

“My opponent has organized rallies calling for the abolition of ICE, organized rallies calling for open borders.”

The Truth: The New York Times spotlighted Webber’s lying ways in the lead of a story this month about how Republicans are using the “Abolish ICE” movement to smear Democratic candidates. The Star-Ledger editorial board stated its case even more bluntly: “This is Webber's first real moment of stepping out in this race, to fill the 11th district seat of retiring Rodney Frelinghuysen,” the piece said, “and he's flat-out lying.”

Mikie Sherrill, a former Navy pilot and a federal prosecutor, does not support abolishing ICE and does not believe in open borders. Nor did her campaign organize events calling for the abolition of ICE. “Mikie Sherrill will always stand up for our men and women in uniform and our community,” says Essex County Sherriff Armando Fontoura. “When Assemblyman Webber questions her dedication and her service to our country, he lowers himself.”

The midterm elections on November 6 are too important to sit out.  The person we elect to Congress will have enormous impact on our district, and on the effectiveness of checks and balances from Congress.

Vote By Mail is the easiest way to be a VOTER this year. And ANYONE can do it – whether you’ll be in town or out of town on Election Day.

Mike German, speaker, and Julie Burstein, moderator, kick off the Defending Democracy speaker series on July 24.

NJ 11th for Change presents Defending Democracy, a three-part speaker series examining today's burgeoning challenges to our democracy's system of checks and balances. The talks will be moderated by Peabody-Award winning radio producer Julie Burstein, creator of WYNC's Studio 360 series.

Part One, "An Evening With a Former FBI Agent," features Mike German, a fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice who served 16 years as a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. 

Since 9/11, U.S. intelligence agencies have taken actions, in our name and in secret, that would shock and disturb many of us if we truly understood them. German takes a closer look at some of these tactics, discussing how cultivating fear comes straight from the authoritarian playbook, and considering the solutions to be found in strengthening our local communities.

• What: Defending Democracy: An Evening With a Former FBI Agent
• When: 7:00 - 9:00 PM Tuesday, July 24
• Where: Morristown Unitarian Fellowship, 21 Normandy Heights Road, Morristown NJ 07960
• Free. RESERVATIONS REQUIRED. Seating is limited. Click here for Eventbrite link.

NJ 11th FOR CHANGE STATEMENT ON THE NOMINATION OF BRETT KAVANAUGH FOR U.S. SUPREME COURT

NJ 11th for Change has deep concerns about President Trump’s nomination of Washington, D.C. native Brett Kavanaugh for the U.S. Supreme Court.

Kavanaugh, currently a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, has a troubling and consistently conservative record that appears to be in line with the current administration’s tendency to challenge federal policy and the rule of law.

In a 2012 law review article regarding separation of powers, Kavanaugh argues that presidents should be exempt from criminal investigations, prosecution and civil lawsuits while in office – a distinct red flag, considering the legal clouds that surround the Trump White House.

In 2011, Kavanaugh wrote a dissent arguing that Washington, D.C.’s local assault weapons ban was unconstitutional.  In 2015’s Priests for Life v. HHS, he supported upholding an employer’s right to exclude birth control from employee health coverage. And in 2017, Kavanaugh participated in a heated battle over Jane Doe, a teenage immigrant seeking an abortion, arguing in a dissent that imposing a delay on the procedure did not present an undue burden.

He has also issued a series of opinions in cases involving the Environmental Protection Agency that have displayed a tendency to whittle away at Obama-era EPA regulations, according to a profile at SCOTUSblog.

These aspects of Kavanaugh’s legal career fail to align with our district’s values of accountability, equality, inclusivity and compassion. Neither do they align with our concerns about important issues such as reproductive health, the environment and gun safety legislation.

Supreme Court decisions are not esoteric footnotes. They have direct and profound impact on the everyday lives of people from all walks of life in our country -- and in our diverse congressional district.

We are hardly alone in finding Kavanaugh’s record troubling. Back in 2006, Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-NY, observed at the judge’s confirmation hearing that Kavanaugh was a “very bright foot soldier” for a “partisan political fight.” Kavanaugh’s record on gun legislation drew extreme misgivings from the gun-violence prevention groups Everytown for Gun Safety and Giffords Courage to Fight Gun Violence. And Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-MA, had this to say: “Brett Kavanaugh's record as a judge and lawyer is clear: hostile to health care for millions, opposed to the CFPB & corporate accountability, thinks Presidents like Trump are above the law – and conservatives are confident that he would overturn Roe v. Wade.”

We cannot deny this choice causes us great unease. But we will face it like we face all the challenges of these trying times - with our sleeves rolled up to fight for what’s right. In this case, that includes demanding our Senators, Cory Booker and Robert Menendez, not only vote against this nominee, but lead the fight to make sure he does not join the Court where he can cause serious damage for decades to come.