Elect Women NJ Announce Historic 33 Endorsements to Women Running for Local Office

Middletown, NJ – Elect Women NJ, an organization focused on raising money to invest in strong, diverse women candidates in local races in New Jersey, released their endorsements for the 2023 election cycle today. They have awarded 33 endorsements to female-identifying candidates running for local office, including races for board of education, council, mayor, county commissioner, surrogate, and sheriff.  They awarded three additional women to watch, three races to watch, and five scholarships for training.

Elect Women NJ was launched in 2020 to fund women candidates and build a network across the state. Elect Women NJ is hosting its Annual Gala on Saturday, October 7th at the Battleground Country Club in Manalapan, NJ. The event will feature former Secretary of State, Rev. Dr. Regena Thomas. It will also present the inaugural Sheila Oliver Trailblazer Award, honoring the legacy of Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver. The first recipient of the Sheila Oliver Trailblazer Award is Assemblywoman Shavonda Sumter. To purchase tickets, visit https://secure.actblue.com/donate/gala.2023. Early bird ticket pricing ends on September 11, 2023.  Elect Women NJ Vice Chair Kathy Williams is chairing the event with Board Member Rachel Green.

“We received a historic number of applications, inspiring us with both the quality and number of women running for office across the state. The women we have endorsed this year are running extremely competitive campaigns and we hope to fund even more next year,” said Elect Women NJ Founder and Executive Director, Tricia Maguire.

“There was an increase in applications from the board of education races this year. We also witnessed increased polarization and nationalization in school board races across the state. Our focus on local races is designed to build leadership that represents the diversity of our communities and to create a supportive network that can be essential for our endorsed candidates,” said Kerri Kennedy, Founder and Chairwoman of Elect Women NJ.

Elect Women NJ prioritizes the diversity of cohorts, considering race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and geography in our review process.  Elect Women NJ Founder and Treasurer Linda Peng-Grooters reported that Elect Women NJ increased our geographic diversity this year, funding women in 19 counties in New Jersey.

We proudly announce Elect Women’s 2023 Endorsed Candidates:

Endorsed Candidates

Woman to Watch

Races to Watch

In addition to the Annual Gala on October 7th, Elect Women NJ is hosting an event on September 18 at 6pm to meet our endorsed candidates.

For more information about Elect Women NJ, visit ElectWomenNJ.com.