With Election Day less than two months away, a group of adults 55 and older are actively campaigning for both local and national Democratic candidates in spite of restrictions created by the coronavirus epidemic.
Comprised of about 25 seniors living in both Hunterdon and Warren counties, the Committee for the Election of Democratic Candidates has logged nearly 1,500 phone calls and mailed more than 1,300 letters and 1,200 postcards at their own expense since reorganizing in late May.
The committee is seeking to build support for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris as well as New Jersey congressional incumbents Andy Kim (D-3), Josh Gottheimer (D-5), Tom Malinowski (D-7), and Mikie Sherrill (D-11).
The group is also soliciting votes for Democratic candidates for the U.S. Senate from states outside of New Jersey, including Amy McGrath of Kentucky and Sara Gideon of Maine.
According to Alex Plinio, a resident of Washington Township and chairperson of the committee, these Senate candidates have been targeted by the committee in members' joint belief that they can win in “predominantly Republican areas.”
“We feel that the Senate has to flip as well, if anything is going to be done," Plinio said. "So we’ve chosen a few candidates where we think it could make a difference.”
The committee first formed in 2016 to canvass for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and running mate Tim Kaine as well as numerous local Democratic candidates. They reorganized in 2018 to successfully campaign for the four New Jersey congressional candidates previously named.
Most members of the committee are retired, but some — including Plinio — balance their volunteer efforts with full- or part-time jobs. While the committee has remained active through phone calls, texting, letter writing and social media posts, the pandemic has forced them to abandon door-to-door canvassing — “the most effective thing that you can do for a candidate," according to Plinio.
“It gives us an opportunity to have discussions with individuals right at their own home base ... and to talk to a lot more people because you can go out on a weekend when people are usually around in the summer," Plinio said. "That part of it we really miss both from an effectiveness standpoint, as well as from the standpoint of being able to make more solid kinds of contacts.”
Still, the committee continues to meet virtually every 10 to 14 days, and has physically united to solicit votes in gatherings of up to three or four people.
From left to right: Ellie Levy and Ann Voelker of Washington Township, Warren County.Courtesy — the Committee for the Election of Democratic Candidates
“We have felt comfortable enough to get on someone’s back deck or porch and be far enough apart where we can set up a computer and have a phone and wear a mask where we can, and be able to be safe but still enjoy some camaraderie with no more than a few people," Plinio said.
"We’re all very conscious of this because we all are seniors, and of course this pandemic would affect seniors more so than the general population.”
Plinio said committee members will continue campaigning for the Democratic party through Election Day in November, driven to “work quite hard to make a change" in their shared belief that President Donald Trump is “not fit for the office he’s in.”
“A lot of us are mad, but a lot of us are highly focused," Plinio said. "And we know the issues; we can debate them with anybody. And we’re knowledgeable, and hopefully are going to help these candidates.”
"I and the people I’m working with are not crazies ... We’re just patriots. We just want to see our country get back on track.”
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Caroline Fassett may be reached at cfassett@njadvancemedia.com.
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