As the June 2 primary election rapidly approaches, I wanted to share my disappointment with the actions of one of the four Democratic candidates running in the 7th Congressional District race.

Until two weeks ago, this campaign had been a model of civility in debates and forums, on social media, and in campaign mail and commercials. Then candidate Tina Shah began sending a series of negative mailers and airing a commercial attacking fellow Democrat Rebecca Bennett, the clear frontrunner in this race.

Congressional District 7 Democratic candidate Rebecca Bennett won vote of the Westfield Democratic Committee ahead of the upcoming endorsement vote by the Regular Democratic Organization of Union County.

Bennett received nearly 79 percent of the vote, emerging as the clear consensus choice of Westfield committee members.

“We are fortunate to have so many qualified Democratic candidates running for Congress in our district,” said Bruno Tedeschi, chair of the Westfield Democratic Committee.

Westfield, NJ – The Westfield Democratic Committee is proud to announce its slate of candidates for the 2025 mayoral and town council elections: United for Westfield. This team of experienced, community-minded leaders is committed to maintaining the balance of town government and ensuring that all residents have a voice in Westfield’s future.
The United for Westfield slate includes:

This letter to the editor was originally published in The Westfield Leader on January 11, 2024

Among the first acts of the newly elected Westfield Council members was an attempt to remove Thomas Jardim as the Town Attorney, claiming that he had provided “bad advice” about whether approval of the One Westfield Place redevelopment project could have legally been the subject of a “non-binding referendum.”  (The ad hominem comments about Mr. Jardim are, perhaps, a subject for another day, but the incivility does not bode well.)  No matter how often it gets refuted, the referendum issue arises, zombie-like.

The Westfield Democratic Committee announced today that two new candidates are joining Councilwoman Emily Root and Councilman Scott Katz on the Regular Democratic Organization slate for the Westfield Town Council.

Erika Vargas Garrison will seek the Democratic nomination for the Ward 2 Council seat and Dawn Nichol-Manning will seek the nomination for the Ward 3 seat.

Mayor Shelley Brindle and Councilpersons Linda Habgood, Mike Dardia, David Contract, and Dawn Mackey, collectively known as the Westfield Together team, are thrilled to announce their re-election campaign. “Thank you for giving me the incredible privilege to serve as your mayor for the last four years. Our team is excited and eager to continue to represent your interests and to finish what we started,” says Mayor Brindle.

Read how our chair, Rupa Motwani, is one of three South Asian-American women elected as municipal Democratic chairs in Union County!

Article: Three South Asian American Women Make History in Union County; Democratic Committees in Three Towns Now Run by Indian Americans

All residents are invited to drop by Town Hall on Monday, October 15, from 10am-2pm, for a Voter Information & Registration event.

Voter registration forms will be available, and the Union County Board of Elections will be here to demonstrate the use of the new voting machines being used in Westfield for the upcoming General Election.

Watch this powerful clip with Tom Malinowski getting praise from a source that you might not expect.

For those who missed the September 22 debate between our candidate, Tom Malinowski, and his opponent, you can watch it online. In under 25 minutes, you can see why Tom Malinowski is the clear choice for Congress in NJ-7!