‘Daughter Of Working Class’ Ramps Up Senate Campaign In New Jersey

NEWARK, NJ — An accomplished labor leader with a history of organizing in the Essex County area is kicking her campaign for U.S. Senate into high gear.

Patricia Campos-Medina is among a crowded field of candidates competing to replace Sen. Bob Menendez in New Jersey this year. Menendez – who is facing new bribery charges – has not announced if he will run for re-election.

Campos-Medina, a former Newark resident, is vying for the Democratic Party nomination in the 2024 primary election. Other candidates currently seeking the Democratic nod include Tammy Murphy, Andy Kim, Kevin Cupples, Patrick Merrill and Lawrence Hamm.

Candidates seeking the Republican nomination include Curtis Bashaw, Michael Estrada, Albert Harshaw, Justin Murphy, Christine Serrano-Glassner and Alex Zdan. Additional candidates include Christina Khalil (Green Party of NJ) and Nick Carducci (Independent).

Campos-Medina – a child of immigrants who fled civil unrest in El Salvador in the early 1980s – has several ties to Newark and Essex County. The former North Ward resident helped to organize cafeteria workers in the Newark public school system, and previously served on the Newark Workforce Investment Board. She is scheduled to speak at the City of Newark’s upcoming Women’s Brunch on Friday.

Nearby in Essex County, the 50-year-old activist has supported nurses during their push for new contracts at Clara Maass Medical Center in Belleville. She also pushed for women’s reproductive rights at a “March to ROEvember” held in Montclair in 2022.

Campos-Medina has experience working with New Jersey’s other U.S. senator, Cory Booker, having participated in both of his senatorial campaigns. However, she’s been a vocal critic of politics as usual among local Democrats as she ramps up her own push for office, questioning the requirements to qualify for debates and “The Party Line” – a controversial way of aligning candidates on many of New Jersey’s primary election ballots.

Campos-Medina isn’t the only candidate in this year’s Senate race to call for “fair ballot design” in New Jersey. Earlier this month, she joined Rep. Kim, who represents the state’s 3rd Congressional District, and Hamm – another longtime activist from Essex County – to call for an end to the Party Line. See Related: The Battle Continues Against New Jersey's Weird Primary Ballots

Campos-Medina, who now lives in Hunterdon County, has pointed to the need to curry support among New Jersey’s Latina and Latino voters as a potential advantage in the race to replace Menendez – one of the highest-ranked Latino members of Congress.

“My campaign is not about county-lines or insider politics,” she emphasized. “This is a campaign for political representation for working class voters in urban centers who need to see a woman leader, a daughter of the working class, a Latina woman on the ballot.”

A self-described “Jersey Girl,” Campos-Medina came to the United States as a 14-year-old teen and entered eighth grade as an English as a Second Language (ESL) student. While perfecting her English skills, she took on a part-time job at a local fast-food restaurant to earn money to assist with the family budget, while still participating in sports and community service activities.

That work ethic followed her as she earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial and labor relations and a master’s degree in public administration from Cornell University. Campos-Medina later attained a doctorate degree in philosophy from Rutgers-Newark.

According to her campaign website, Campos-Medina has found inspiration in her parents’ struggle as low-wage workers in the hotel and restaurant industry – turning their lack of a stable income and health care into core planks of her political platform.

The drive to make a brighter future for families like her own has guided Campos-Medina’s work with not only labor unions, but also with the state government.

Campos-Medina has served on several public boards and commissions in New Jersey, including the NJ Casino Redevelopment Authority, the NJ Economic Growth Council, the NY-NJ Port Security Task Force, and the NJ Restart and Recovery Advisory Council.

Campos-Medina has also gained experience working with multiple presidential administrations on the federal level, her campaign team says – both Democratic and Republican:

“Because of her experience in U.S. trade relations, she was first appointed by President Clinton in 2000 to serve as a member of the Labor Advisory Committee for the U.S. Trade Relations, and was re-appointed by President George W. Bush in 2001-2004. In 2008, her expertise was tapped by President Barack Obama by appointing her a member of the Transition Team for the Office of U.S. Trade Relations, recognizing her pioneering work advancing U.S. economic and foreign policy interests.”

On Monday, Campos-Medina kicked her Senate campaign up a notch, announcing her first round of hires and key advisors, including campaign manager Orville Morales, political director Aileen Merino, and director of field strategies Barry Brendel.

And despite being considered an underdog by some political pundits, she has no plans to back down now, Campos-Medina says.

“Some opponents have asked me – ‘Why are you running, most people have made up their minds,’” the longtime labor organizer said in a recent campaign video. “But the fact is, that most voters have not.”

“I’m running because voters deserve choice – on issues and in representation,” Campos-Medina said.

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