We interviewed Democratic primary candidates running in the 2024 special election to represent NJ-10

What is your political background?
“When I graduated from college, I started my own non-profit organization called Newark Gals, Inc. that mentors young girls. With that non-profit, we actually opened the first Women and Girls Center of Hope, which is a community center here in the city of Newark.”

“I was born and raised here in the city of Newark in the Central Ward. I own a home here, raising my family here, and so I decided to run, and I won the election [to city council] in 2018.”

“I’m in my second term, was re-elected in 2022, and now serving as the council president. In 2018, I became the youngest woman to ever be elected to the city council. [I’m] the youngest person serving on the council then and now. Serving as the council president, I am only the second woman to hold this post and the youngest to do so.”
Why are you running?
“As the Newark City Council president, I have been championing the needs and aspirations of every resident in this city since elected, and I’m running to be the first Black woman to represent this district in Washington.” 

“I know far too many families who are struggling to make ends meet, facing skyrocketing costs of food, housing, healthcare, and education.”

“I also see the devastating impact of climate change playing out throughout the district in the form of flooding that is threatening lives, homes, and livelihoods. Too often, these challenges are treated as separate issues, but they are deeply interconnected and require comprehensive solutions, which I’m ready to go to work for in Washington.” 

“I will fight for policies that promote affordability, equity, and environmental sustainability, ensuring that no one is left behind. I also plan to strive to build upon a solid foundation of the great public service of the late Congressman Donald Payne, Sr. and Jr. and create a brighter future for this district.”
How do you plan on representing and engaging people throughout the district? 
“Working as the council president and having a lot of diverse communities, we do a lot of engagement activities. During my listening tour that I’ve been on for the last couple of weeks, from Cranford to Jersey City to Verona, people just want to be included. They want to be a part of engagement activities, and I plan on making sure that we’re meeting regularly, that we’re having stakeholders come together, that we’re doing a lot of communication.”

“I go to a lot of community meetings, street meetings, block meetings, to be able to connect with my residents, hear from them, answer questions, and be able to serve them.”

“We call it bringing city hall to your steps, and in this nature, going into [the 10th district], it’s called bringing the Congressional 10th District Office to your street.” 
What are your priorities for the three months you will be in office, if elected? 
“The number one thing for me is affordability. A lot of Americans are priced out in many different sectors, but specifically those here in [the 10th district].”

“I think finding creative ways to try to put dollars back into residents’ pockets is what we truly need to be focused on. Folks cannot afford to pay rent. Mortgage is high. They can’t buy homes right now. Food is high. Prescription drugs are high.”

“Many residents are just tired. So, I think coming up with specific creative ways on how to put more dollars back in residents’ pockets and tackle some of the inflation issues that we have going on is truly where I would start.”

“A three-month job definitely doesn’t allow you to get much accomplished. But surely we’re going to try to do the best that we can.”
What have you been following in Congress in New Jersey that you want to weigh in on? 
“A top priority is women’s reproductive health. I support women’s right to choose, you know, having access to reproductive health care because reproductive health care is health care and it should not be treated differently.”

“There’s been a lot of conversation through my travels on this listening tour about the infrastructure bill and the funding that’s going to be coming down the pipeline. Many towns are awaiting funding to be able to help them with some severe issues.”

“Some towns are having flooding issues. Some folks are not able to upgrade sewer systems and water treatment plants. Those things are extremely important and are causing havoc on many townships. I would anticipate that funding to start rolling in soon.”
How would you address some of the state’s major issues, including segregated schools and housing, unsafe drinking water, excessive heat in the state’s urban areas, and an underfunded transit system? 
“We need more funding from the federal government on many of these issues. And these are some of the same issues I heard during my listening tour.”

”Housing has been my baby here in the Central Ward and in the City of Newark. I know here in the city, we capitalize off giving first-time homebuyers $20,000 that we help fund through our affordable housing trust fund, as well as federal and state grants monies. We also help those who’ve been in their home for a long time but need to do upkeep.”

”I think it comes from getting more money from [the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development] and the financial committee in Congress to understand that and send more federal dollars our way to be able to help our residents.”

”We need to get into a situation where healthcare is being treated as a human right and not a situation where only those who have certain conditions or have a specific economic status are able to get quality healthcare. We need to create a full system in this district, in this nation, honestly, to deal with the challenges all around healthcare.”

”And that includes some things like improving Medicare benefits, controlling the cost of prescription drugs, and expanding Medicaid. So those are some things that I think are important that we’re able to do that Congress can definitely do immediately. And once again, ties back to money from Congress.”

”Environmental problems and definitely infrastructure issues goes back to funding and making sure that we put real guardrails and procedures and policies in place on how dollars are spent that we are sending.”

”I think when we can do that, you’re able to be reassured that these dollars are being spent within the municipalities and that it’s reaching down to residents.”

What is your political background?
”I am a former councilwoman for the city of East Orange, where I represented the second ward. I also served [as] the North Jersey political director for Andy Kim for Senate in the most recent Senate primary.”

“Prior to that, in addition to being a councilwoman, I served as the economic development manager and the planning director for the city of Plainfield, N.J. Prior to moving here and pursuing my master’s in urban planning and development, where I focused on housing and economic development and land use, I worked in healthcare advocacy and juvenile justice in the state of Florida.”

Claybrooks said that she then worked in the U.S. Congress “cloakroom,” a space where members of the Senate and House of Representatives meet outside of formal meeting rooms to socialize and eat. Claybrooks said she worked in the Office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi during that time.

”Between the Democratic cloakroom and moving to New Jersey to pursue my master’s, I served with a national organization called Young Invincibles where we were working not only to advocate for us to stay on our parents’ insurance until we’re 26 in the Affordable Care Act, but to also lead young parents’ initiatives advocating for student loan debt cancellation and better family leave packages and Medicaid expansion, particularly in the state of Virginia where I was assigned the enrollment program through our contract with the Department of Health and Human Services.”
Why are you running?
”Congressman Payne was a good friend of mine. I want to continue his legacy of delivering for the district.” 

Claybrooks explained what prompted her candidacy.

”There’s a lot of introducing, but rarely is there passing of bills and implementation. But most of [my reason for running] is guided by my passion for service and the understanding that we cannot continue to do things as business as usual. I want to begin to chart a new course for a new vision for our district that is rooted in addressing the housing crisis that we’re experiencing, addressing issues of the safety net for our caregivers and seniors.”

”As a caregiver myself, to my mothers before they passed away, I know what it’s like to have a sibling or family member have to quit their jobs and face fear of what their future is going to look like once they take themselves out of the social security system.”

”And, finally, addressing issues around environmental justice as we’re starting to see natural disasters happening…What we found during COVID is that it exacerbated some of the problems that we already knew existed.”

”We found that the federal government must step in to address all the issues that we’re having. And it is what made me contribute to the race.”
How do you plan on representing and engaging people throughout the district? 
“I’ve been all over this district. I worked in Plainfield with the Union County Transportation Advisory Board. I helped the county to distribute resources during COVID, where I’ve built emergency business programs and helped charter new courts for housing and inclusion and advocacy and economic development in Plainfield.”

”I understand the way in which Union County works, and their special needs around their fair share of affordable housing and infrastructure improvements. I also have been engaged in Jersey City.” 

”The thing about this district is that it’s not one city over the other. Each of the 18 municipalities has unique needs.”

”If I’m elected to Congress, I’ll make sure that I do quarterly and regular town halls in each of these areas so that people know what is available to them and so that we make sure that our office is hearing them.”
What are your priorities for the three months you will be in office, if elected? 
”My first priority is to set up the office around engagement so that we can begin to bring people from our district into the room and help them understand how the seat is really theirs.” 

”We often hear that the congressperson is [supposed] to advocate and you’re hearing their voice a lot, but I want to make sure that we are setting up a good community engagement program to put us in the best position to be responsive to people.”

”I’d want to address some of the outstanding earmarks that Congressman Payne [Jr.] has already put through. He’s already begun to request set-asides for infrastructure improvement in parts of Union County. Not everyone has seen their allocations.”

Claybrooks said that her third priority is completing outstanding affordable housing programs.

”There are already letters out there that are calling on [the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development] to increase our resources to local home programs. We haven’t seen those kinds of increases for a while, so the third priority is to get busy figuring out where to sign on and continue some of the work that’s already being done.” 
What have you been following in Congress in NJ that you want to weigh in on? 
”I’ve been following the Momnibus Act, which addresses the issues of Black maternal health. It’s a series of 13 bills that have gone back to [the U.S. House and Senate committees].”

”I’ve also been following the Congressional Black Caucus’s work around the Black wealth agenda, around access to health care, around governmental transparency, and making sure that we are holding agencies accountable for doing the work that they need to do.”

”Also some of the more national conversations around money in campaign financing, and also the Voting Rights Act – how people are still elevating that issue because we know that access to the ballot is going to help us maintain the progress that we’ve already started to achieve.”
How would you address some of the state’s major issues, including segregated schools and housing, unsafe drinking water, excessive heat in the state’s urban areas, and an underfunded transit system? 
”The pillars of my actual platform are access to affordable housing, access to care, environmental and infrastructure improvement, and making sure that we’re holding the government accountable to actually delivering on those things.” 

”One of the things that we know is that the Green New Deal exists so that we are making sure that we are increasing building standards and how we build in our urban areas, particularly those that will be funded by federal government money.”

”We’re already starting to see transit system improvements that have happened as a result of the Build Back Better plan, and we’ve seen in East Orange more money funneled into our transit program from the federal government delivered to us by Donald Payne. I’d like to continue that work as well.”

”We’re also seeing infrastructure improvements needed in Union County, which I think they feel forgotten in the conversation. We must address and make sure that if we’re going to be a state that is overwhelmingly designated as urban, that funding is allocated with that in mind.”

”As a person who’s looking to really implement change and not just introduce things, I’ll be examining some of our transportation opportunities and some of our policies around the Department of Transportation to see what we can bring back.”

Claybrooks said that she will prioritize making amendments to standing legislation.

”I don’t think people focus enough on amendments, like changing rules and adding guidance via legislation to how agencies do things. Oftentimes bills get introduced and rarely are they passing. Whenever a member of Congress like Mr. Payne is able to have their name be associated with so many bills that actually have passed, those are major accomplishments, but what the real work is finding those policies that already exist that we must amend.”

What is your political background?
”I have never held public office before… I’m a law professor who specializes in election law, constitutional law, and I have taught federal election law, constitutional law, and legislation, which are probably the three most important topics as a federal congressperson.”

”I’ve written or edited a bunch of books on American election law and how that works, and on constitutional law and how that works. I do know a lot about how Congress works and what Congress people do.”
Why are you running?
”I feel like I’m the candidate who knows the most about what the federal congressperson does, and I have had a lot of interaction with members of Congress, and I’ve talked to and advised many candidates as a scholar. And the main issue for me is that there has been a deterioration of democracy and the democratic process in the United States.”

”I am an immigrant, and I sort of grew up in a world of respecting American democracy and American political institutions. Issues of how to make and preserve our democracy are super important to me, and those are the kind of issues that I care most about. And so ways to bring civic life back to the United States and create a less polarized environment are things that I’ve thought about professionally and written about professionally.”

”I think it’s not only at the national level that democracy is weakening, but also here in New Jersey, where the state is run by political machines largely in the urban counties. And things like our ballot system are very unfair.”
How do you plan on representing and engaging people throughout the district? 
”[The 10th District] is sort of a unique district. It is heavily Latino in some parts of Essex County, especially. The African American community has different healthcare outcomes than the rest of Americans. They have higher infant mortality rates, higher rates of stress. They have a slightly lower life expectancy than white Americans. I would dedicate a person to work on healthcare issues for members of that community.”

”Minority rights are very important to this district. And I think the district has not been well represented in Congress for a while.”

Mazo said that he plans to represent the district by “try[ing] to be an effective champion of people in the district and their specific needs.”
What are your priorities for the three months you will be in office, if elected? 
”The main priorities that I have are democratic revival and renewal and how to improve our democracy. I don’t think anybody can do that in three months, but that’s the main priority.”

”The second one that I have is providing more educational and economic opportunity for the people in the 10th District.” 

Mazo said that foreign affairs are among his priorities as congressman.

”I have a PhD in political science, and I was trained as an expert, especially U.S.-Russian relations. I do think that we need to think more about the role of the United States in the world, especially with all of these foreign conflicts.”

”I think the United States has a role in making sure that aid is given to Gaza or not supporting Israel if the response is disproportionate… I think that the United States has a role to play in world affairs where it’s in the best interests of Americans for us to have a strong and robust role in foreign affairs. So I would champion keeping us involved in these conflicts.”

”So speaking out in favor of our support for our democratic allies, and working as part of an international coalition of countries to stand up for democracy and human rights, I think it’s very important. I think it’s very important for members of Congress to do that as well.”
What have you been following in Congress in NJ that you want to weigh in on? 
Mazo said that transportation and climate change are two issues he has been following.

”The main issues have to do with transportation right now. Congressman [Donald] Payne [Jr.] was great at this. He was a champion of the Gateway Tunnel. We have huge transportation issues in New Jersey and I would continue to champion for federal funding for fixing Amtrak and getting the tunnel built.”

”Climate change is affecting New Jersey much more than other states. We have an extra degree of heat in New Jersey, and this is also caused by the density of people and building that’s happening in New Jersey. I think this is a huge, crucial issue, and how we fight climate change is, again, a huge issue.”

”There’s so much obstruction to it in Congress by Republicans in Washington. That’s a mistake for our children and their children. Again, what you can do about this issue in three months, not clear legislatively, but you can champion the issue and speak out about the importance of the issue and try to educate people about that.”
How would you address some of the state’s major issues, including segregated schools and housing, unsafe drinking water, excessive heat in the state’s urban areas, and an underfunded transit system? 
”Housing is a difficult issue because… the government’s really not involved in the sale of housing. That passes from one private party to another private party, and what the federal government should do is stop discrimination in housing and forbid any kind of discrimination, especially where federal law touches that issue.” 

Disparities in state contract awards is another issue that Mazo plans to address.

”Minority contractors have a much more difficult time getting state contracts in the bidding process. Again, this is a state issue because we’re talking about the state contracting with minorities.” 

”But the programs that the federal government has to address this issue, I think, are important, and I think they can be replicated on the state level. And you could certainly encourage the state to do what the federal government does. So, what the federal government does through the Small Business Administration is it has minority set-asides in contracts… I think New Jersey would be very smart to replicate something like that.”

What is your political background?
“I am a lifelong Democrat and a native to Hudson County and Hudson County politics. My push into political life was always supporting people who are activists, names like Pamela Johnson on the ground for the Black community in Jersey City and victims of gun violence, or supporting school board candidates in Jersey City, like Gina Verdibello and Mussab Ali, who wound up becoming the youngest school board trustees in Jersey City’s history.”

“I took on more leadership roles in the community, like sitting on the board of trustees of Society Hill Community, a gated community on the west side of Jersey City waterfront that has approximately 600 families, and advocating for environmental justice issues, like terrible smells we were getting across the river from Newark from an animal rendering facility.”

“I became a Ward A representative for Keep Jersey City Beautiful, which involved organizing well beyond just my immediate neighborhood. That involved an entire  ward for the entire city, and cleanup efforts, partnering with the Hudson County Corrections officers and people in the Department of Public Works in Jersey City to organize inmates to come and help clean up the waterfront in my community.”

“I matriculated in a graduate program at the George Washington University down in Washington, D.C. I wound up graduating with a master’s degree in political management, which really allowed me to understand how campaigns work and how government worked at local, state, county, and even federal levels.”
Why are you running?
“That incident in Society Hill, with all of those smells coming across, this was a daily occurrence… It was a multi-county issue, my neighbors were pushing me to contact our local congressperson. In reaching out to my congressperson, Donald Payne Jr. at the time, we really weren’t getting much of a response from his office.”

“Because of that non-responsiveness, I began with my graduate school work at [George Washington University] to understand how contacting a congressperson works, what they’re responsible for, what they oversee, and typically what kind of response you should get and how to go about contacting them.” 

“My neighbors started pushing me to be the change that I want to see in this district.”

“The thing that pulled me in, though, was all of the love I was receiving from past supporters and the fact that I still work in the district every day of my life. I never really left the district, and I know how affected my students are by the issues of NJ-10. I know how affected all of my old neighbors in Jersey City are on a daily basis.”

“That’s why I decided to run again, because I don’t know if anybody else is willing to do that kind of work and have that stamina and love for this district. And I’m about halfway done with that work right now, and it’s only been six weeks into this campaign. So I’m really proud of that because it’s necessary for democracy.”

Flora ran to represent the 10th District in 2019. He lost against Rep. Donald Payne Jr.
How do you plan on representing and engaging people throughout the district? 
“I’ve been in every municipality of this district since 2019, knocking doors, jumping rope with little kids on the street, visiting senior homes, and attending events.”

“I trained teachers in Essex County and have been involved with several nonprofits in Essex County: like the Misfit Angels, who bring direct relief to my unhoused neighbors, like Family Promise that keeps unhoused families together across Essex and Hudson County, like the Newark Water Coalition. I attended their encampment event at Rutgers-Newark three weeks ago and helped deliver water when the lead water crisis was rampant in Newark.”

“I was delivering water in Newark with Anthony Diaz and the Water Coalition. [I have also been involved with] Little Kids Rock, when I trained teachers as a state ambassador for the nonprofit, I was working with music teachers in Newark.”

“My life’s work has been nothing short of direct involvement and community engagement with all three counties, whether I was born there or visiting my grandparents in Rahway or working in Jersey City every day. That’s the work I’ve been doing my whole life and the work I want to continue to do.”
What are your priorities for the three months you will be in office, if elected? 
“I want to continue [Rep. Donald Payne Jr.’s] efforts with the Gateway Project and the Men’s Health Caucus. Number two, I want to be an outspoken ambassador for my unhoused neighbors in Newark. I think the city of Newark’s doing a tremendous job to alleviate the struggle that our neighbors go through there, and in Jersey City to a lesser extent.”

“But I want to bring home some federal [dollars] to aid the efforts of the city of Newark and the city of Jersey City to make our unhoused neighbors have shelter, but to let them know that they have mental health services and also substance abuse services.”

Flora raised environmental health as a third priority.
“People die because of climate change. We have people becoming climate refugees because of this international crisis. And this is irreparable damage to some extent. And I just don’t understand what we’re doing as a powerful nation to other nations that are perpetrators… I think we have to exert a little bit more pressure.”

We asked Flora to clarify what “exert[ing] a little bit more pressure” would mean.

“There could be a summit in Europe where countries are told they have to fall in line… or an economic sanction… I feel the United States is more concerned about its economic relationship with other countries than its environmental relationship with the entire planet.”

What have you been following in Congress in NJ that you want to weigh in on? 
“It feels somewhat like unilateral decisions could be made from the executive branch because of Chevron deference,” Flora said, referring to the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision curtailing the power of federal agencies. “Roe v. Wade being overturned is a huge threat to choice for women and mothers, expectant mothers as well. Our leaders from New Jersey’s delegation have to be outspoken about what is happening with the Supreme Court.”

Flora said that District 10 community members have asked him to “pick a side” between Israel and Palestine during his campaign outreach. He said that he “personally [doesn’t] want to be dragged into picking a side.”

“I am a proponent of peace,” he continued. “The United States – in general with the Biden administration – is unfolding this threefold plan, which I would support as a congressman. It’s basically a ceasefire, return hostages, military evacuations, and begin the rebuilding process.”

“Unfortunately, Gazans and Israelis are not amenable to that plan, even though that’s acceptable on an international stage. So that leaves us in a position of we keep funding humanitarian aid and funding military initiatives, but to what end?”

“There’s nothing I could do as a congressman. I could vote for peace and funding humanitarian [and military] aid… but ultimately that’s for Israel and Hamas to work out.”

(Fact check: In May 2023, the Biden administration proposed a three-phase plan leading to a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, which was welcomed by Hamas, the region’s governing party, as early as June. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused to agree to the proposal over limitations on Israeli military assaults on Gaza.)
How would you address some of the state’s major issues, including segregated schools and housing, unsafe drinking water, excessive heat in the state’s urban areas, and an underfunded transit system? 
“Regarding excessive heat, I feel like that is more of a local issue for county and municipal governments with cooling shelters and making sure that residents have drinking water throughout all of Essex County.”

Flora said that he would want to address the racial wealth gap in the district, “specifically as it related to homeownership and the income wealth gap.” 

“I would be empowered and honored as a congressman to know that data and to speak to that data firsthand and have some of [those funds] to bring home to my district and level the playing field in some ways that I know it’s apparent and evident.”

Flora said that he researched segregation in New Jersey’s county vocational schools. He said that “it does become difficult to ensure segregation is dealt with on a local level” from a federal seat. He also said that he would advocate for meting out federal funds to school lunch programs and after-school mentorship programs. 

Later in our discussion on segregated schools, Flora explained that holding a congressional seat implies “a learning curve” and he would want to further explore state and federal partnerships.

“I just want to make sure I become more well-versed in what exactly I can do as a congressman with that federal funding as it relates to schools in New Jersey.”

What is your political background?
“I’ve been an elected district leader on two occasions, but I’ve always worked around politics since I was very young. My family owns businesses in and around the Newark area. We own buildings, so we had a lot of politicians in space for the headquarters in our locations.”

“But more than that, I ran Donald Payne Jr.’s congressional campaign in the primary of 2012.” 

Gordon explained that Payne’s office encouraged her to run for district leader, but she initially opposed. She said that she eventually became district leader “because of all of the service [she] was committing in the community.”

“I helped seniors write letters when they were being wrongfully fined and were in jeopardy of losing their apartments… We went against Governor Christie in a Medicaid waiver. We did the rezoning, and people saw the work that I was doing, and that’s how I came to work more closely in the political atmosphere.”
Why are you running?
“I’m running for the seat to honor the legacy of the leaders that we have in this community who fought for the people.” 

Gordon further explained what encouraged her to run.

“People make a living wage, and they can’t even afford an apartment. The average price for a new[ly constructed] apartment in Newark is $2,200 for less than 400 square feet. And you have to pay water bills, light bills, gas bills, amenity fees, parking, and for your dog as well if you have one. So, we really have to look at what’s going on.”

Gordon said that community safety is another reason why she is running for office. She said that someone shot her son when he was nine-years-old while he was riding his bike. “I need to run. I need to make sure we have our streets safe.”

Access to affordable healthcare is Gordon’s third reason for running.

“I worked in healthcare for 22 years for both hospitals and health insurance companies. The government is paying more money on emergency care than preventive care, and as a taxpayer, that’s not adequate use of my dollars. So, I know that I can bring back to Congress what we need for our community.”
How do you plan on representing and engaging people throughout the district? 
“I am already engaged. My cousins were all educators in West Orange. My uncle was a prosecutor for Essex County in the homicide division.”

“My family owned small businesses across Newark. We owned soul food restaurants, and we fed half of Newark for over 30 years. My sister has owned a beauty parlor in Union, N.J. for over 30 years. My daughter and I both are graduates of Union County College in Cranford. My uncle worked for Exxon, now Infinium, in Linden for over 30 years as a welder.”

“I am engaged up and down this district. I have touched every area of this district, and some part of this district has affected my life.”

“I have a history with every one of the elected officials in this district and outside of this district…. These are my friends.”

“I am listening every day of every hour of the week… That’s how Sheila Oliver taught me, to be in the community with my constituents. I will do listening sessions, and I will be outside with them, outside in the parks with them, outside the basketball games with them, inside at the birthday parties, at the local speakeasy talking to them.”

“I’m out here with my people. That’s what I do. That’s how I engage my people on a very personal, close level, because that’s the only way you understand the community.”
What are your priorities for the three months you will be in office, if elected? 
“It’s not a long time, so we would have to just continue on what Donald Payne [Jr.] already was doing, making sure the legislation around men’s health is solid, making sure we have enough dollars to complete this rail project.”

Gordon said she would increase funding for people unhoused in the 10th District. “We need to… get people to understand that… money [for unhoused people and people seeking asylum] comes from different sources of funds… because they’re creating a conflict between the two.”

Gordon also said that projects left outstanding by Payne should immediately be addressed.

“By the time these bids come out, a lot of times the monies are short. Because by the time the people bid on it and get approved, the cost of doing the job increases. So we have to make sure that if there’s an increase needed to complete this rail extension project, we can be able to afford that.”

When discussing men’s health – another topic that Payne had advocated for while in office – Gordon said that “it’s a priority” in addition to preventative and emergency care.

“We have to make sure that we keep putting pressure on the way we’re spending dollars and making sure that it’s equitable.”
What have you been following in Congress in NJ that you want to weigh in on? 
“We need to make sure that women get the support they need early on in their pregnancy. We need to make sure the government is paying for contraception and we need to make sure that they’re paying for doula care.”

“We [also] need to look at the Green New Deal. When I worked on the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative Grant, some of the things that we worked on included adding more greenery to absorb pollution, sound barriers, making sure that we are reducing emissions, efficient use of lighting, and recycling water in our homes and buildings.”

Gordon said that she wants to create federal legislation around housing, student loans, and offering loans to small businesses.
How would you address some of the state’s major issues, including segregated schools and housing, unsafe drinking water, excessive heat in the state’s urban areas, and an underfunded transit system? 
“Some areas have less access to transit than others. That’s definitely underfunded. Because Donald Payne [Jr.] has been working in that area, we would just continue to implement and improve on some of the things he did.”

“I would definitely bring dollars to this district to work on things like infrastructure, piping systems, and talk to some of the water agencies to make sure our water is cleaner.”

Gordon said that she would want to expand education programs that integrate students in more populated cities like Newark and that she would want to further explore segregation in schools to understand other ways to address it.

What is your political background?
“In high school, I was on several state boards, I was a part of Who’s Who Among American High School Students. I received the Mayor’s Award when I graduated high school.”

“I ran for Assembly in 2021. In the same year, I ran for district leader at the behest of my community, because I do the work for the community. I won that, so I was the leader for District 29 in Newark for the last three years.”
Why are you running?
“I’m tired of the status quo. I’m tired of there not being any real representation for our district. I’m running because I am the change that we need to see.”

“[U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development] being the largest landowner of public land in our city, I went to their meetings, and I asked them where the funds were that were issued by the government. 

“The next week, the HUD director put out a bid for contractors to gut abandoned buildings, rehab them, and put our people back in. So, when I say Salters gets it done, that’s what I mean,” Salters said.

“That’s why I’m running for office, because I understand the power of this office and what can truly be done to make life better for the people in our community.”
How do you plan on representing and engaging people throughout the district? 
“I engage in Jersey City, in Cranford, in all of these different towns where I have worked, where I have shopped, where I speak to people on a regular basis.”

“I know their needs already. I hear their cries, and I’m not turning a deaf ear to it. I’m taking this step to move into this office because I understand the power that it holds, and I’m already engaging and connecting with the people.”
What are your priorities for the three months you will be in office, if elected? 
“Immigration reform… [and] foreign affairs.”

When we asked Salters to expand on “immigration reform,” she made comments about immigrants that were not true. 

She said that migrants receive “very little to no repercussions” and that there is “no monitoring” at U.S. borders. These statements are inaccurate.

Migrants to the U.S. are held by border patrol officers in freezing temperatures with limited access to food or water or sufficient medical attention. An average of more than 2,500 migrants have been arrested monthly since January 2021 at the U.S.-Mexico border. Recent Biden administration restrictions on asylum seekers have been called a “functional ban on asylum.”

Salters continued to discuss foreign policy.

“Sometimes we in America do things that cause a rift with our allies, with our non-allies, that could be prevented if we did what we needed to do for home instead of being in everybody else’s backyard.”

“We need to take a look at the things that we as America have done to put us in precarious situations that we don’t need to be in on the verge of a war that is unnecessary.”
What have you been following in Congress in NJ that you want to weigh in on? 
“Voting for the trillions overseas to fight wars that do not benefit us here is the main thing that I’ve been following because while we’re doing that, our situation here is deplorable: our housing situation, our homeless situation, our livable wage situation. And this is in every town in District 10.”

“When you look at Irvington and East Orange and West Orange and Newark, the plight of our people is getting worse, and I’m speaking specifically with District 10 because this is our arm to reach Washington. The policies that we need in our district are not being dealt with.”
How would you address some of the state’s major issues, including segregated schools and housing, unsafe drinking water, excessive heat in the state’s urban areas, and an underfunded transit system? 
“I was one of the people who fought for our clean water because, in Newark, we went from having the best water to having the worst water.”

“And that is why I am running to be Congresswoman of District 10. My boots are on the ground already and I see what is being done and what is not being done purposefully to benefit those who are in office already off of the backs of the people that are suffering. So it’s not what I will change. It’s what I’ve been fighting to change.”

“What is happening here in the cities in District 10 is we are rent-burdened. Our children are at a disparity. Global warming has a larger effect on more urban areas, so it would disproportionately affect District 10.”

“People are suffering and dying with excessive heat, with discriminated school systems. So to fix that, it is going to take someone who is going to look these people in the face and say ‘No’ to things that don’t make sense. Let’s solve the problem instead of being more of one.”