The National Education Association, following the recommendation of the New Jersey Education Association PAC Operating Committee, endorsed Analilia Mejia on Mar. 17 for election in New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District. The endorsement covers both the special election scheduled for April 16 and the general election on Nov. 3.
This endorsement is significant as it highlights support from major education unions for Mejia’s campaign. The New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) advances equity and social justice in education through community efforts, according to the official website. It also focuses on championing public education and educator rights through advocacy and support services.
NJEA officers President Steve Beatty, Vice President Petal Robertson, and Secretary-Treasurer Tina Dare said, “NJEA members are excited to get to work to elect Analilia Mejia because we know she will use her position in Congress to advocate for public education, for labor and for marginalized communities. She will fight for the issues that matter most to our students, our members and their families.
“We are in tumultuous times. New Jersey and America need the strong, principled leadership that she will bring to Washington, D.C. She will be a voice for her constituents in CD 11 and for unheard and underrepresented people across New Jersey and America. As proud educators and as labor advocates, we will do everything we can to help her win in April and in November and we will partner with her to advance her positive agenda in Congress.”
National Education Association President Becky Pringle said, “Analilia Mejia is a champion for America’s students and New Jersey’s working families. Analilia knows how critical it is to ensure that every student – no matter their background, race or ZIP code – has access to quality public schools. She is for expanding learning opportunities for our students and against diverting funding out of the public schools that 90 percent of our students attend into unaccountable and discriminatory private schools through vouchers. And Analilia Mejia will continue working to deliver lower costs for working families while getting things done to help students, educators and communities. That is why the National Education Association is proud to recommend Analilia Mejia in her campaign in New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District.”
Mejia responded by saying, “Education is the profession that creates all others. And as parents, the people we trust every day when we drop our kids off at school are the teachers and other essential staff who care for and guide them. As a mom, receiving the endorsement of the New Jersey Education Association is personal to me, and I’m proud of it. It’s time we uplift public education and give our schools, educators and students the resources they deserve. That means fully funding public schools, raising educator pay, stopping the abolition of the Department of Education, and ensuring every child has access to a quality education. That’s what I’m committed to, and I’m proud to stand alongside the New Jersey Education Association in this fight.”
Mejia brings experience as a union organizer as well as roles such as director of the New Jersey Working Families Alliance; National Political Director during Bernie Sanders’s 2020 presidential campaign; service at the U.S. Department of Labor during the Biden administration; and current Co-Executive Director of Popular Democracy.
The NJEA serves educators across New Jersey according to its official website; it engages in lobbying efforts aimed at influencing educational policies; offers professional development opportunities along with legal aid; provides collective bargaining assistance; functions within education as a union representing educators.
CD11 includes parts of Essex, Morris, and Passaic counties. The seat was previously held by Governor Mikie Sherrill since 2018.
