NJ-05: In the Jersey Suburbs, Arati Kreibich Challenges the 'Human Fundraising Machine'
In New Jersey’s 5th congressional district, Donald Trump won by just one percentage point in 2016. The election was a wake-up call for Arati Kreibich, who jumped from neuroscientist to grassroots organizer. She formed groups with local women and in 2018 became the first South Asian woman — and only person of color — to ever serve on Glen Rock’s City Council.
Kreibich campaigned hard to re-elect Josh Gottheimer in 2018. She knocked on doors and hosted events in her backyard. Now, she is running against him in the July 7 primary.
“I thought he was going to be fighting for us in Congress,” Kreibich says. “The very first thing he did was vote to roll back environmental regulations.”
Gottheimer is the first Democratic Congressmember in 84 years to represent the district, which encompasses affluent suburbs and a large swath of rural western New Jersey. He has proven to be one of the most conservative Democrats in the House, voting with Trump 77 percent of the time during his first term. He is backed by more financial sector contributions than any other Democratic member of Congress and has a perfect approval rating from the National Association of Police Organizations.
After Gottheimer led the charge in the House to pass the emergency border funding bill with limited accountability or aid for migrant children detained in cages, Kreibich started her campaign.
“I decided I needed to step up,” says Kriebich.
https://indypendent.org/2020/07/in-the-jersey-suburbs-arati-kreibich-challenges-the-human-fundraising-machine-for-a-congressional-seat/
= new reply since forum marked as read
