New Jersey for a Better Future is a left-of-center healthcare advocacy organization. It is a project of the Sixteen Thirty Fund, a 501(c)(4) funding and fiscal sponsorship group managed by the Washington, D.C.-based left-of-center consultancy Arabella Advisors.

Background

New Jersey for a Better Future is a left-of-center organization advocating for preserving the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (better known as Obamacare) and strongly opposed to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. It is a project of the Sixteen Thirty Fund, a political organization managed by the Washington, D.C.-based left-of-center philanthropic consultancy Arabella Advisors.

New Jersey for a Better Future is one of 12 groups with localized names that Politico identified as being part of the national Sixteen Thirty Fund. The others groups were Arizonans United for Health Care, Colorado United for Families, Floridians for a Fair Shake, Healthcare Voters of Nevada, Keep Iowa Healthy, Mainers Against Health Care Cuts, Michigan Families for Economic Prosperity, North Carolinians for a Fair Economy, Ohioans for Economic Opportunity, SoCal Health Care Coalition, and Speak Out CNY. ¹

Most of the state-based groups, including New Jersey for a Better Future, provide almost no information about the organization on their websites, such as staffing and financing. ²

New Jersey for a Better Future is also affiliated with The Hub Project, a left-wing “dark money” alliance of state-level groups housed at the Sixteen Thirty Fund and run nationally by former Obama administration official Leslie Dach and Arkadi Gerney, a former political strategist for the liberal Center for American Progress, according to the New York Times. ³

Advocacy

The organization claims that a repeal of Obamacare would mean 469,500 New Jersey residents would lose health care. ⁴

The organization targeted the seat of then-U.S. Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-N.J.) during the 2018 election over his vote to repeal Obamacare and voting for the Tax Cut and Jobs Act, the tax reform package that President Donald Trump signed in late 2017. The group spent seven figures on negative ads against him. ⁵

The group claimed the Tax Cut and Jobs Act harmed New Jersey because it no longer allowed state and local tax deduction, which helped New Jersey residents for having among the highest state taxes in in the country. The group called this the “Trump Tax.” It teamed with other liberal groups in the state, including the Communications Workers of America and the New Jersey Working Families Alliance, for a 100-day “Repeal the TrumpTax” tour. ⁶

The group also claimed 300,000 New Jersey residents were losing health care because of tax reform. ⁷

Leadership

Ann Vardeman is the program director of New Jersey Citizen Action. ⁸

New Jersey for a Better Future has an advisory committee that includes Seth Hahn of the Communications Workers of America chapter in New Jersey, Amanda Devecka-Rinear of New Jersey Organizing Project, Bruce Davis of the New Jersey NAACP, Ann Vardeman of New Jersey Citizen Action, and Dan Preston of Telequest Inc. ⁹

1. Bland, Scott. “Liberal Secret-Money Network Hammers House GOP.” Politico. July 29, 2018. Accessed October 30, 2019. https://www.politico.com/story/2018/07/29/democrats-dark-money-midterms-house-745145
2. Jones, Sarah. “Could This Democratic Dark Money Group Fuel a Tea Party of the Left?” New York Magazine. November 2, 2018. Accessed October 30, 2019. http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2018/11/dark-money-tea-party-left.html
3. Burns, Alexander. “With $30 Million, Obscure Democratic Group Floods the Zone in House Races.” The New York Times. October 31, 2018. Accessed October 30, 2019. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/31/us/politics/democrats-dark-money-midterms.html
4. Press Release. “New Jersey for a Better Future Launches to Highlight MacArthur’s Votes Against New Jersey’s Working Families.” March 23, 2018. Accessed October 30, 2018. https://www.insidernj.com/press-release/new-jersey-better-future-launches-highlight-tom-macarthurs-votes-new-jerseys-working-families/
5. Press Release. “New Jersey for a Better Future Launches to Highlight MacArthur’s Votes Against New Jersey’s Working Families.” March 23, 2018. Accessed October 30, 2018. https://www.insidernj.com/press-release/new-jersey-better-future-launches-highlight-tom-macarthurs-votes-new-jerseys-working-families/
6. Press Release. “The Trump Tax is a Bad Deal for New Jersey.” March 16, 2018. Accessed October 30, 2019. https://www.njbetterfuture.org/news/the-trumptax-is-a-bad-deal-for-new-jersey/
7. Press Release. “The Eighth ACA Anniversary.” March 7, 2018. Accessed October 30, 2019. https://www.njbetterfuture.org/news/your-first-news-article/
8. Press Release. “New Jersey for a Better Future Launches to Highlight MacArthur’s Votes Against New Jersey’s Working Families.” March 23, 2018. Accessed October 30, 2018. https://www.insidernj.com/press-release/new-jersey-better-future-launches-highlight-tom-macarthurs-votes-new-jerseys-working-families/
9. Press Release. “New Jersey for a Better Future Launches to Highlight MacArthur’s Votes Against New Jersey’s Working Families.” March 23, 2018. Accessed October 30, 2018. https://www.insidernj.com/press-release/new-jersey-better-future-launches-highlight-tom-macarthurs-votes-new-jerseys-working-families/