Oakley Welcomes Caldwell to 10th District

Montclair, N.J. — Imani Oakley, progressive candidate for Congress in N.J.’s 10th Congressional District, extended a welcome on Monday to Caldwell which was recently redistricted into the 10th.

“I welcome Caldwell as a new addition to our district, and I look forward to joining forces with their residents in our push for a more just, equitable, and sustainable Essex County,” she said. “Everywhere in Essex our communities face a housing crisis, a climate crisis, and a crisis of democracy. I’m fighting for every person in the 10th — from the suburbs to the city.”

Other new additions to the 10th include Garwood, Kenilworth, Cranford, Essex Fells, and Verona. West Orange and Union Township, which were partly in the district before, will now be entirely within the 10th’s new boundaries.

Oakley is running a progressive challenge to Donald Payne Jr. — a 5-term incumbent who has been frequently criticized for his ties to the fossil fuel industry, anti-union companies, and developer groups. Oakley’s campaign has managed to score several victories going into the final half of the race, including outraising Payne Jr. 2-1 in her first fundraising quarter, being featured in Teen Vogue, the Daily Beast, and the Young Turks as a progressive campaign to watch, and receiving numerous local and national progressive endorsements.

Those endorsements include the West Orange Young Democrats, Catch Fire, Brand New Congress, former progressive presidential candidate Marianne Williamson, Black Lives Matter activist Zellie Imani, Muslim community leader and civil rights advocate Selaedin Maksut, Maplewood Mayor Dean Dafis, and Mt. Rainier Vice Mayor Scott Cecil.

“Whether a longtime resident of the 10th or a new addition, all people are welcome in our movement,” Oakley said. “Together we will build a stronger district and a better country for all.”