Larry Hamm, the Essex County activist and leader of the People’s Organization for Progress (POP), today issued his formal endorsement of Phil Murphy and Sheila Oliver respectively for governor and lieutenant governor.

A delegate for Bernie Sanders at last year’s Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Hamm backed Assemblyman John Wisniewski (D-19) for governor in the Democratic Primary, and has to date stayed out of the general.

But today he opted to jump in and express his support for the Democratic ticket.

“This is a critically important election with only two possible outcomes, a Democratic victory or a Republican one. Please do not sit it out. We need a massive voter turnout on Election Day,” Hamm told his members in a Facebook message. “There are only two states in the country that have races for governor, New Jersey and Virginia. The entire nation will be watching for the outcomes in those contests.

“Murphy and Oliver are running a liberal campaign while Guadagno is running a conservative one similar to Trump’s presidential campaign,” Hamm added. “Go to their respective campaign websites and examine and compare their various proposals on the important issues.”

Hamm said a Republican victory in New Jersey would embolden, strengthen and energize the right wing movement “that has seized control of the federal government.”

” Make no mistake about it a vote for the Republican candidate for governor, Kim Guadagno, is a vote for Trump and the Republican Party,” the veteran actisit said. “And a victory for Guadagno will be a victory for Trump. A Murphy and Oliver victory will put in place a state administration more sympathetic than that of Guadagno to the plight of working and middle class people, the poor, minorities, women and other groups.”