EAST ORANGE — Gubernatorial Candidate U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill was in the city Saturday at a get out the vote rally with healthcare workers, who took to the streets afterwards to knock on doors in support of her candidacy.
Members of the Service Employees International Union, 1199SEIU, were out in large numbers for the rally, which included speeches from Mayor Ted R. Green and state State Sen. Britnee N. Timberlake.
“We are going to make sure that Mikie Sherrill is the next governor of New Jersey,” Green said from the podium at the rally.
Green said it was important that Sherrill be elected because the state needs someone with integrity in the governor’s office.
“Mikie Sherrill cares about people, families who are struggling, struggling with food prices, high utility bills,” Green said.
When she spoke, Sherrill said she was angry but she also said there’s an old saying about hope; that hope has two beautiful daughters; anger and courage.
“This is how we build the future for ourselves and our children,” Sherrill said. “We have anger and courage so we have hope.
The saying, often attributed to the theologian known as St. Augustine, suggests that “anger” is the righteous discontent with the way things are, and “courage” is the strength to change them for the better.
“We’ve got 38 days to fight this fight,” she said. “We will win because we are together and when Democrats come together in New Jersey, we win.”
Sherrill went on to talk about how she and the mayor had fought for the funds to restore the East Orange Train Station and how she had fought to increase the minimum wage.
“I am going to fight for you,” Sherrill said. “I have anger, courage and hope. I’m asking for your vote, your hard work and I’m asking you to talk to your friends, neighbors, even your frenemies.”
The song “Hit the Road Jack” by Ray Charles played as she concluded her speech, alluding to her Republican opponent Jack Ciattarelli.
Timberlake followed Sherrill asking the audience if they thought they had a better chance with Mikie or Jack? She also said the bills she writes in the state Senate will be dead on arrival if Ciattarelli is elected.
“We have to do everything we can, not just for us but for future generations,” Timberlake said.
A press release from 1199SEIU, which has about 20,000 members in New Jersey, said the election of Sherrill is crucial because massive federal healthcare cuts coming on Jan. 1 threaten the wellbeing of hundreds of thousands of New Jersey residents.
Nearly 350,000 New Jerseyans are poised to lose their health insurance due to an unprecedented $3.6 billion annual reduction in Medicaid funding, the release said.
“Frontline caregivers know the urgency: New Jersey needs a governor who will put the health and wellbeing of its residents ahead of Trump and Ciattarelli’s pro-billionaire agenda,” the release said.
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