Friends,

As you may have heard, I’m running to serve in the New Jersey Legislature as Assemblyman for the 33^rd Legislative District (representing all of Union City, Hoboken, and Weehawken, and parts of Jersey City).  We had a good start… in April, my running mate and I filed the necessary petitions to secure our places on the ballot with more signatures than any other Assembly candidate in the entire State of New Jersey, Democrat or Republican!  We are two weeks away from the primary election, and I am asking for your support.

How can you help?  You can start by showing your support online!  “Like” our Facebook page at facebook.com/mukherji and "like" this website.  Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/RajMukherji.  While you’re here, you can sign up for updates (don’t worry, we will do our best not to clog your inbox), sign up to volunteer, or donate to the campaign.  Anything you can spare, whether $25 or the max of $2,600 (or $5,200 per couple), would be really helpful.  Best of all, you can do it online via credit card.  Frequent flyer miles!  You can ask your employer to contribute as well, as state candidates may accept corporate contributions up to permissible limits.  We have four challengers in the Democratic primary on Tuesday, June 4, and politics in Hudson County is a blood sport at times.  I am running a clean, positive campaign, but unfortunately, I may have to defend against attacks.  And since New Jersey is sandwiched between the first and fifth most expensive media markets in the country (NYC and Philadelphia), getting the message out in this area can be costly.  Also, we need the financial resources to support a top-flight campaign staff and maintain a physical presence throughout the district to learn about the issues of importance to constituents.

And of course, please tell all your friends who live in the district to vote for our legislative team on Column B – STACK, GARCIA, and MUKHERJI – in the Democratic primary on Tuesday, June 4.

I’m incredibly grateful to be running with Senator Brian P. Stack and Carmelo Garcia, Executive Director of the Hoboken Housing Authority and an elected member of the Hoboken Board of Education.  Nobody understands constituent services better than Senator Stack, and if the people of the 33^rd give Carmelo and me the privilege of serving them, I promise that the district will enjoy that same passionate representation in the Assembly.  All three of us are running with the support of the Hudson County Democratic Organization.

It has been my privilege to serve the great people of Jersey City for nearly five years as Chairman of the Jersey City Housing Authority and for over a year as Deputy Mayor.  Witnessing the impact of Hurricane Sandy on Hudson County was unlike anything I had ever experienced.  People were displaced from their homes, there were parking lots of floating cars, and businesses closed.  Two residents lost their lives, including a longtime city employee.  Senior citizens were without heat and power for days, even weeks.  This experience strengthened my love for my neighbors and community and reinvigorated my passion for public service.  Now, I want to bring my fresh, common sense perspective to Trenton.

My candidacy is a testament to the diversity that makes New Jersey so beautiful.  If elected, I will be the first Bengali state legislator in the entire United States and only the second South Asian state legislator in New Jersey history, following in the footsteps of a dear friend and mentor, Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula.

There are those in our state’s capitol who would increase the burdens on New Jersey’s middle class.

I have a different priority: yours.

I will bring all the resources of my legislative office to bear when a constituent is in need.  I will fight to create jobs.  I will work to enact sound policies that will make New Jersey more affordable while improving quality of life.  I will use the tools given to us by President Obama to expand access to quality healthcare at the state level – for everyone.  I will zealously guard against property tax increases that simply aren’t affordable while improving the schools in our communities and the delivery of higher education in our state.

I will fight to preserve happiness and liberty for all New Jerseyans.  Last week, Minnesota became the twelfth state in our union to enact marriage equality.  Our neighbor to the south – Delaware – did so earlier this month, and our neighbor to the north – New York – did so in 2011.  It is inexcusable that a state as progressive as New Jersey continues to discriminate against our LGBT sisters and brothers.

I will support legislative initiatives that encourage development and urban renewal, while being friendly to our environment.  Ours is, after all, the Garden State.

Most importantly, I will be guided with a big heart.  In the words of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, “Governments can err, [politicians] do make mistakes, but the immortal Dante tells us that Divine justice weighs the sins of the cold-blooded and the sins of the warm-hearted on different scales.  Better the occasional faults of a government that lives in a spirit of charity than the consistent omissions of a government frozen in the ice of its own indifference.”

From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

Best regards,

Raj Mukherji

Paid for by Raj Mukherji for Assembly, PO Box 1, Jersey City, NJ 07303