Meet my next Congresswoman, Linda Stender (NJ-07)

by: MrLiberal

Sun Mar 19, 2006 at 01:40:03 PM EST

Those of you who know about me may recall that I had the misfortune of living with a Republican Congressman. Mike Ferguson might be considered your typical rubberstamp Congressman, but he also has several other “accolades� to his credit as a Congressional disgrace. Since his first election in 2000, “Fergie� has received over $45,000 from Tom DeLay’s personal PAC – that’s more than any other Republican Congressman. When combined with various DeLay, Inc. associates (such as Mark Valente and indicted ally Jim Ellis), Ferguson has received nearly $200,000 from the DeLay underworld. In return, “Fergie� has sent $27,000 of his PAC money to Texas, which DeLay used to knock off five Democratic Congressmen in 2004. In between all this, Fergie has had time to build up his golf game; he currently ranks behind only Chris Chocola of Indiana for “best Congressional golfer� in a recent magazine article. You can read more about his foibles and follies at http://www.dumpmike.com , currently run by Nathan Rudy.

Linda Stender is what you might call a "petite powerhouse". What she lacks in the height department, she far exceeds in the rhetorical power and ideological strength departments. She also has an extensive record of public service, from being Mayor of Fanwood, New Jersey to Union County Freeholder to State Assemblywoman for District 22. Since 1988 she's been an active leader in Union County, which is the most populous portion of NJ-07, and has accomplished a great deal. Among her legislative accomplishments in the Assembly are:

-A992, which prohibits pharmacists from refusing to dispense medication solely for philosophical, moral or religious reasons;
-A2137, which allows pharmacists to prescribe emergency contraceptives under certain conditions, and
-A2730, which establishes new crimes related to human trafficking and provides for victim compensation.

"A" stands for State Assembly, where she has served since 2001. Since that time, Linda has proposed 130 pieces of legislation, of which 31 so far have become law. For the 2006 legislative session in Trenton, she's proposed 57 more. For a two-term (now three-term) Assemblywoman, that's a damn good track record. And as you can tell, she clearly enjoys making policy and working with legislation, which is something many Representatives in Congress try to avoid. Mike Ferguson is one of them.

Linda is definitely a "workhorse", but she's also a committed supporter for progressive causes and a strong public speaker. She was one of Howard Dean's first supporters in 2003 (months before New Jersey's Democrats endorsed Dean en masse), and has actively supported DFA and local progressive chapters in her area. Now that she's running for Congress, she's been reaching out to DFA chapters throughout the district, recently speaking at a forum held by the state DFA.

Linda's typical speech is short, powerful and cutting in its remarks. When she spoke to the DFA forum (which I tried to liveblog, but failed miserably), she made some of the following statements:

"Bush took us to Iraq on a lie"
"Medicare D - for Disaster"
"After the vote in 2007 to elect Nancy Pelosi Speaker, the next vote should be on impeachment"
"I think dismantling [the new Medicare plan] is the best way to fix it."
(On Guantanamo) "It's part of the constitutional, these civil rights - The Constitution is at stake in this election!"

Those are all her words, not mine. This would be a Congresswoman unafraid to take it to the Bush Administration, and a Congresswoman who will help to lead the fight for change. Indeed, "change" is the one word that defined her speech to the DFA forum. And we all know that we need a change for the better in this country, and soon.

Now, onto the nuts and bolts of the operation. In 2002 and 2004, Mike Ferguson won 57% of the vote. This was in a positive GOP climate against two candidates that had never run for office before and failed to win national backing. None of those negatives are true this year. The tide is on our side, and Linda Stender has an electoral base smack in the middle of Union County. To win the 7th, a Democratic candidate must carry Middlesex County (Steve Brozak got 52% here in 2004) and Union, as well as hold down Ferguson in Somerset and Hunterdon Counties (where he got over 60% in 2004). Union, won by Ferguson with 55% is the “battleground� of the district, and that’s where Linda has run for office since 1988.

As for national backing, Rahm Emmanuel is coming in next week to hold a fundraiser for Linda. The DCCC is going to play in NJ-07 this time, and the base has been growing itself there. The Stender campaign has also attracted the attention of Emily’s List, although an endorsement hasn’t happened yet (soon enough, I’m sure). Blue7th PAC is an umbrella of progressive organizations in the 7th that has been attacking Ferguson since early 2005. With frequent letters to editors, protests, forums and fundraising drives, Blue 7th works with groups like DFA and MoveOn to turn New Jersey a deeper Democratic shade every day. It is this fusion of ground-up and top-down efforts that will make Linda Stender my next Congresswoman.

So, what can we online do to help? There are a number of things, only one of which is the donation issue. Linda’s website, http://www.lindastenderforcongress.com has a blog called “Linda’s Log�. If you want to ask the campaign anything, just head on over and see what you think of her and the campaign. You can sign up at http://www.blue7th.com to get the latest updates on the ground, and keep a watch out at http://www.dumpmike.com for the latest Ferguson news. However, with the March 31st finance deadline coming up, donating some money to Linda would be an excellent idea as well (wink, wink). I’ll keep you all updated as well, as to the progress of the campaign. Thanks!