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New Jersey Working Families Party

Website:

workingfamilies.org/state/new-jersey/

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The New Jersey Working Families Party (NJWFP), also sometimes known as just “New Jersey Working Families,” is the New Jersey affiliate of the left-wing, New York-originated Working Families Party.

The NJWFP may be an alternative name for the Working Families Alliance (WFA), sometimes known as the New Jersey Working Families Alliance. On the Working Families Party’s website, donations for the NJWFP are sent to the WFA. 1 Sue Altman is the leader of both organizations, though her LinkedIn only lists the WFA. 2 3

Since early 2021, NJWFP has been running the “Abolish the Line” campaign to reform New Jersey ballot design. As of February 2023, NJWFP appears to have little activity outside of Abolish the Line. The organization’s Twitter and Facebook pages are inactive, while its Instagram page is down. The NJWFP has no website, only a listing on the Working Family Party’s website. 4 5 6

NJWFP is a founding member of the New Jersey Coalition for Affordable Hospitals. 7

Abolish the Line

Launched in 2021, Abolish the Line is a campaign of the New Jersey Working Families Party to reform New Jersey primary elections. Currently, New Jersey primary ballots feature a design known as the “line,” a column that allegedly prominently features favored candidates chosen by political party officials. As evidence of bias, the campaign points out that no New Jersey legislator incumbents have lost a primary since 2009. Abolish the Line proposes removing the “line” in favor of a standardized template that allegedly shows no bias for or against candidates. 8

In January 2021, the NJWFP launched a lawsuit against New Jersey to challenge the line. In June 2022, a judge rejected an attempt to dismiss the lawsuit. 9

Endorsements

In August 2021, the New Jersey Working Families Party endorsed incumbent Governor Phil Murphy (D-NJ). The NJWFP listed Governor Murphy’s accomplishments as decriminalizing small-scall possession of marijuana, permitting illegal immigrants to access driver’s licenses and government financial aid, mandated paid sick leave, an increase in the minimum wage to $15, and raising the income tax by 2 percent for incomes over $1 million. 10 NJWFP head Sue Altman has called Governor Murphy “extraordinarily progressive.” 11

In the 2020 election cycle, the NJWFP endorsed U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), U.S. Representatives Andy Kim (D-NJ), Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ), Tom Malinowski (D-NJ), Albio Sires (D-NJ), Bill Pascrell (D-NJ), Donald Payne Jr. (D-NJ), Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), and Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), as well as unsuccessful candidates Amy Kennedy (D-NJ), Stephanie Schmid (D-NJ), Arati Kreibich (D-NJ), and Hector Oseguera (D-NJ). 12

After his unsuccessful campaign, Kreibich joined the NJWFP as director of democracy organizing. 13 In January 2023, Kreibich wrote an op-ed for New Jersey Spotlight News advocating for same-day voter registration, particularly to increase voter turnout among younger voters. 14

Leadership

Sue Altman is the head of the New Jersey Working Families Party and the New Jersey Working Families Alliance. Before getting into politics, Altman was a professional basketball player in Ireland and Germany. 15 16 In December 2019, Altman was dragged out of a New Jersey Senate session by police for protesting an $11 billion economic incentive program designed to keep businesses in New Jersey. 17 18

Altman was a registered Republican until 2008 and then switched parties, though she told the New York Times that her original registration was done to follow her parents before she became interested in politics. 19

In 2019, Altman considered challenging her “main political rival,” local Democratic Party official and U.S. Representative Donald Norcross (D-NJ), in the Democratic primaries. 20

References

  1. “Donate to New Jersey Working Families.” Act Blue. Accessed February 17, 2023. https://secure.actblue.com/donate/njwf_donate?refcode=web_statepage
  2. “New Jersey Working Families Party Expands for 2022.” Insider NJ. February 3, 2022. Accessed February 17, 2023. https://www.insidernj.com/press-release/new-jersey-working-families-party-expands-2022/.
  3. “Sue Altman.” LinkedIn. Accessed February 17, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/sue-altman-4783818b/.
  4. “NJWFA.” Twitter. Accessed February 17, 2023. https://twitter.com/NJWFA.
  5. “NJ Working Families 2.0.” Instagram. Accessed February 17, 2023. https://www.instagram.com/njworkingfamilies2.0/.
  6. “New Jersey Working Families Party.” Facebook. Accessed February 17, 2023. https://www.facebook.com/njworkingfamilies/.
  7. Lanao, Maru. “Major New Jersey Unions Launch Coalition for Affordable Hospitals to Fight For Fair Hospital Pricing.” SEIU 32BJ. November 16, 2022. Accessed February 17, 2023. https://www.seiu32bj.org/press-release/nj-fair-hospital-pricing/.
  8. “The Problem.” Abolish The Line. Accessed February 17, 2023. https://www.abolishtheline.org/.
  9. Jung, Taylor. “Challengers win right to fight ‘party line’ ballots.” NJ Spotlight News. June 2, 2022. Accessed February 17, 2023. https://www.njspotlightnews.org/2022/06/party-line-competitive-advantage-lawsuit-proceed/.
  10. “NJ Working Families Party Endorses Gov. Phil Murphy for Re-Election.” Working Families. August 2, 2021. Accessed February 17, 2023. https://workingfamilies.org/2021/08/nj-working-families-party-endorses-gov-phil-murphy-for-re-election/
  11. Nichols, John. “The Most Progressive Governor in America.” The Nation. October 20, 2021. Accessed February 17, 2023. https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/phil-murphy-new-jersey/.
  12. “NJ Working Families 2020 Endorsements.” Working Families Party. December 1, 2020. Accessed February 17, 2023. https://workingfamilies.org/2020/12/nj-working-families-2020-endorsements/.
  13. “New Jersey Working Families Party Expands for 2022.” Insider NJ. February 3, 2022. Accessed February 17, 2023. https://www.insidernj.com/press-release/new-jersey-working-families-party-expands-2022/.
  14. Arati Kreibich. “Op-Ed: An argument for same-day voter registration in New Jersey.” NJ Spotlight News. January 26, 2023. Accessed February 17, 2023. https://www.njspotlightnews.org/2023/01/op-ed-why-nj-lawmakers-must-move-on-same-day-voter-registration/.
  15. “New Jersey Working Families Party Expands for 2022.” Insider NJ. February 3, 2022. Accessed February 17, 2023. https://www.insidernj.com/press-release/new-jersey-working-families-party-expands-2022/.
  16. “Sue Altman.” LinkedIn. Accessed February 17, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/sue-altman-4783818b/.
  17. Tully, Tracey. “Why a Progressive Democrat Was Dragged Out of an N.J. Senate Hearing.” The New York Times. December 10, 2019. Accessed February 17, 2023. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/10/nyregion/NJ-sue-altman-progressive-democrats.html.
  18. “Former Women’s Basketball Standout To Play Professionally In Ireland.” Go Columbia Lions. August 30, 2005. Accessed February 17, 2023. https://gocolumbialions.com/sports/2018/5/29/1360754.
  19. Tully, Tracey. “Why a Progressive Democrat Was Dragged Out of an N.J. Senate Hearing.” The New York Times. December 10, 2019. Accessed February 17, 2023. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/10/nyregion/NJ-sue-altman-progressive-democrats.html.
  20. Tully, Tracey. “Why a Progressive Democrat Was Dragged Out of an N.J. Senate Hearing.” The New York Times. December 10, 2019. Accessed February 17, 2023. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/10/nyregion/NJ-sue-altman-progressive-democrats.html.
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