Who will best serve AAPI communities in Congress? That was the question on voters’ minds at a forum hosted by AAPI New Jersey, in partnership with other Asian American advocacy groups.
The non-partisan event, held in Livingston, NJ and live-streamed (watch the recording) on January 22, gave the AAPI community an opportunity to engage with candidates seeking to represent them in the U.S. House of Representatives.
About 100 people turned out on a chilly night, two weeks before the special primary election, to hear from eleven Democratic candidates vying to replace Gov. Mikie Sherrill as representative of New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District. CD-11 includes portions of Morris, Essex, and Passaic counties, with Asian Americans representing 12 percent of the population. The sole Republican candidate, Joe Hathaway, did not respond to multiple requests to attend the forum.
The crowded field of candidates on the ballot includes politicians, lawyers, activists, a paratrooper, an engineer, and even a stand-up comic:
- John Bartlett
- Zach Beecher
- J-L Cauvin
- Cammie Croft
- Brendan Gill
- Jeff Grayzel
- Tom Malinowski
- Analilia Mejia
- Justin Strickland
- Tahesha Way
- Anna Lee Williams
There have been several high profile endorsements during this campaign including U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders for Analilia Mejia, Gov. Phil Murphy for Brendan Gill, and U.S. Sen. Andy Kim for Tom Malinowski.
Henal Patel, Law and Policy Director at the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, moderated the forum, guiding the candidates through three key issues: how they would engage with and support AAPI communities, immigration, and affordability in New Jersey.
Engaging AAPI Communities
Candidates echoed sentiments that Asian Americans are underrepresented and each highlighted their own relationships with AAPI communities, as well as plans for future engagement.
Analilia Mejia highlighted a history of immigration exclusion of Asian Americans and emphasized that while Congressional members legislate, there is power in unity and organizing.
“Using the power [of] the bully pulpit to ensure that we are uplifting and understanding. That our forums are not only for our community, but that we are harnessing the power of the community to inform others. We are in the middle of the backslide of our democracy, and I believe we need to work together as we have in years past to ensure we have the freedoms of every community,” Mejia said.
John Bartlett, a Passaic County Commissioner and attorney, highlighted his record of aiding immigrant communities. His wife Professor Khyati Joshi is an immigrant from India.
“One of the things I learned as a Passaic County Commissioner is that when you have immigrant and diverse communities, you need to make sure they’re getting the information they need, in the languages they speak,” Bartlett said, noting the 2020 census in Passaic County included Gujarati, Bengali and Arabic, the most widely spoken non-English languages in that county.
Tom Malinowski drew upon his work as a Congressman in CD-7 and firsthand experiences as an immigrant from Poland. He expressed his disgust with ICE, demanding that immigrant communities have a right to be in this country.
“You’re choosing someone to put out this fire right now,” Malinowski said. “You’re choosing someone to go to Washington in April. I promise if you send me there, I’m going to fight with every ounce of my soul, I’m going to fight these ideas that say immigrants are not Americans as people who have been here for years or generations.”
Activist Anna Lee Williams, who is half-Vietnamese, was visibly emotional in her response. Her mother and uncle came to the U.S. as refugees in the 1990s and current events have her pondering about the safety of immigrant communities amid ICE crackdowns.
“We have to stop the bleeding. We have to abolish ICE,” Williams said.
CD-11 has been front and center in recent ICE raids, including one in Morristown at a laundromat where a high school student was taken.
Williams also highlighted her Fair Deal plan. “You deserve to live a good life. You deserve housing. You deserve education. You deserve freedom,” Williams said. “When you work hard, pay your taxes, and show up, then your government should show up for you.”
Immigration
The second question addressed immigration issues asking, “As the executive branch attempts to close the door on who gets to be an American, what specifically would you do in Congress to keep it open for Asian Americans and other communities under threat?”
At a time of frequent ICE raids and immigration changes including visa freezes, a rise in H1B visa fees, and the end of Temporary Protected Status for AAPI refugees, many AAPI communities have grown fearful for their safety and futures.
“We’re at a time where the immigrant community is under attack and it’s extremely important to me how the Congressional candidates think about it, how they will be voting, whether it will be in our interest or not,” said Livingston resident Parul Khemka, who is an immigrant from India.
Candidates heartily agreed on curbing the powers of ICE.
“As a Congresswoman I would definitely look at this budget and of course be open to defund it,” said former Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way, who served under Gov. Phil Murphy. “Laws should be on the book. Immigrant trust should be on the book.”
Zach Beecher, an Army reservist, former paratrooper, and Bronze Star recipient, said immigrant communities need protection through policy reform and asserted that he could deliver results in Congress.
“ICE is now more funded than the U.S. Marines Corps,” Beecher mused.
Fellow Bronze Star Army veteran, lawyer, and Chatham Borough Councilman Justin Strickland called for reform and stronger messaging.
“We need to change the narrative of what it means to be an immigrant,” he said.
Essex County Commissioner Brendan Gill wants quick action in Congress. “We need to do the immediate. Defund, and yes, abolish ICE,” Gill said. Even with Democrats as the minority in the House of Representatives, there are leverages in funding streams, Gill asserted.
Morris Township Deputy Mayor and engineer Jeff Grayzel emphatically called for the abolition of ICE.
“As someone with Jewish heritage watching what ICE is doing these days, I hearken back to Europe and the fascism that we saw,” Grayzel said.
Communications specialist and former staffer in President Barack Obama’s administration Cammie Croft proposed a plan to simplify the citizenship process for immigrants.
“We need to invest in dealing with the yearslong backlog to those who are stuck in a confusing web of a system that is unclear, hard to navigate and often doesn’t center the people who are trying to navigate it,” Croft said.
“This is some dystopian shit going on,” lawyer and comedian J-L Cauvin, who is half-Haitian, said of immigration raids. “At this point, we need people who are prepared to abolish ICE. If that means shutting down the government, so be it.”
Affordability
The third and final question asked for solutions to the affordability crisis. AAPI New Jersey’s deep canvassing revealed that affordability was a top priority for Asian Americans. In addition to the high cost of living in CD-11, many AAPI businesses have been hit hard by tariffs and inflation.
Candidates highlighted their personal experiences with affordability. Beecher said he is a renter in Morristown with a young family who cannot afford the cost of a home in northern New Jersey. Cauvin of Bloomfield noted he does not own a car and marveled at a recent $50 local Lyft ride.
Average housing costs of $700,000+ are just not affordable for families, said Williams, who would seek to build more affordable housing and advocate for universal childcare.
Malinowski blamed the Trump administration for leading the economy in the wrong direction and said if elected, he would vote to repeal tariffs and seek safeguards on AI, so information is not used to price gouge consumers.
Gill would also seek to safeguard AI use and work toward access to affordable healthcare and public schools.
Strickland called for capping college costs for state schools and proposed offering childcare coupons of up to $25,000 a year to families.
As a commuter, Cauvin would enhance public transit in New Jersey, with affordability as a key component.
With the inflated cost of living in New Jersey, Beecher called for SALT (State and Local Tax) reductions and investing in affordable transportation and housing.
Candidates wrapped up the forum with two-minute closing statements and stayed to meet and speak with audience members at the end of the event.
“Considering all the change and turmoil that is happening in the world, AAPI voters cannot afford to sit on the sidelines,” said Eric Salcedo, an organizer with AAPI Power Our Vote. “A lot of issues are on the chopping block, so it’s important to hold elected officials accountable.”
Now more than ever, AAPI voices need to be heard, said Carol Pak-Teng, an AAPI community organizer.
“Our community members in the Asian American community are very scared right now,” Pak-Teng said. “If we’re sending people to Congress right now, we need to be confident they will listen to our stories, protect our communities. Having this forum that is AAPI focused is really great to show them that we are a growing electorate. That our needs and our voices need to be listened to.”
Thank you to AAPI Livingston, Sanskriti of New Jersey, New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, Namaste Global, AAPI Power Our Vote, Livingston Chinese Association, Muslim Community Center of Livingston, League of Women Voters of Livingston, and Summit AAPI for partnering with us on this forum.
How to Vote
Early voting starts on Jan. 29 and ends on Feb. 3. Primary Election Day is on Thursday, Feb. 5. The victor of the Democratic primary will go on to face the Republican primary winner in a special general election on April 16, and the winner will serve the remainder of Sherrill’s term that wraps up at the end of 2026.
A second primary election for both parties will be held on June 2, followed by the General Election on Nov. 3. Only voters registered with a political party may vote in the closed primaries, but unaffiliated registered voters may change their party registration at the polls. Learn more about voting in the primary elections.
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