Democrats running for the state Legislature in District 14 will be receiving the guidance and support of U.S. Rep. Rush Holt, who was named honorary campaign chairman on Sept. 12.
As such, Holt will be coordinating and assisting the efforts of Assembly candidates Linda Greenstein and Wayne DeAngelo, as well as state Senate candidate Seema Singh. His role will largely be an advisory one, and he will join the team in knocking on doors and attending events whenever possible.
Elizabeth Meyers, a spokesperson with the campaign, said Holt was chosen largely due to ideological common grounds shared between him and the candidates, and also said that he is well respected and liked in the district.
“”We are thrilled to have Congressman Holt as a member of our team. He has been a friend, ally and confidante in the last few months, and his continued support in the final stretch of our campaign will be invaluable,” Singh said.
“Congressman Holt has been a true champion of working families in Washington and has been an unwavering advocate for central New Jersey towns,” DeAngelo said. “We look forward to his continued leadership not only in Congress but in New Jersey and in our campaign.”
Another reason might be that Holt has proven himself to be a successful campaigner, having won his seat in 1998 and managed to hold on to it each election since then. He held house parties for the three local candidates during the qualifying stages of the Fair and Clean Elections (FACE) pilot program, and they were so appreciative that they asked him to serve as honorary campaign chair.
“Seema Singh, Linda Greenstein, Wayne DeAngelo and I share a commitment to improving the integrity, transparency, and responsiveness of government. We also share the traditional view that a legislator’s first job is to represent the district – its traditions, its heritage and its aspirations, including the hope of citizens to have confidence in their government,” Holt said. “Confidence and competence should be our watchwords. Seema, Linda, and Wayne have what it takes to turn those words into action.”
Holt has shown an interest in campaign and voting reform in the past, having supported a bill demanding paper ballots for all electronic voting machines. Greenstein said that this shared interest makes her confident to have Holt on her side.
“Rush has been a terrific supporter of the clean elections program in our communities, and we look forward to having him by our side in the coming two months of this campaign,” Greenstein said.