HECTOR OSEGUERA DECLARES HISTORIC RESULT IN HARD-FOUGHT BATTLE FOR NJ-08

THE PROGRESSIVE MOVEMENT IS JUST GETTING STARTED IN NEW JERSEY

Union City, NJ — The dust has finally settled on July 7th’s primary elections and one thing is abundantly clear: while he did not claim victory, Hector Oseguera has proven himself to be the most effective challenger in the history of New Jersey’s 8th Congressional District.

“It has been the honor of a lifetime seeking to represent the people of our district,” said Oseguera. “We came out of nowhere with a simple vision: to bring working-class concerns like gentrification, lack of healthcare, and over-policing to the forefront of our political discourse. These are clearly popular positions because running on those issues was a tremendous success.”

Perhaps the biggest success of the primary election was the Oseguera campaign’s ability to increase voter turnout. At a time when Democrats across the country are scrambling to get more voters to the polls, NJ-08 Democrats cast 28% more votes when compared to the 2016 primary, and 3/4 of those new voters went to Oseguera. This new energy was apparent in the campaign’s fundraising efforts which, in only nine months, welcomed over 2000 individual contributions at an average of $35 per contribution. Over $75,000 was raised in total – mostly in the final months of the campaign when Oseguera outraised the incumbent 3-to-1.

Oseguera’s grassroots campaign managed to walk away with 29% of the vote in Albio Sires’ stronghold of Hudson County – even after being outspent 8-to-1 and effectively running against two presidential candidates with Joe Biden and Cory Booker leading the county line.

“We sought to activate voters in a way that had never been tried in this district, and took home the largest percentage by a primary challenger ever in the district,” said Oseguera. “Nearly a third of the vote in Hudson County is a good first try, but it is only a start. There is a tremendous wealth of progressive energy in this district that remains untapped and under-represented. I hope this race serves as a beacon to those who seek to change the way things are.”

As far as the future, Hector Oseguera is undeterred and optimistic. He also enthusiastically encourages everyone to get involved in the quest for systemic change: “Get involved locally, run for office, do whatever is necessary to bring the changes we seek into reality. This is a lifelong path for me, I hope to see you in all the struggles to come.”

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