Media Release
| For Immediate Release | Contact | For More Information Please Call |
| November 1, 2008 | Phyllis Salowe-Kaye, Executive Director NJCA |
973-643-8800 |
National Republican Congressional Committee, in Desperation Move, Misrepresents New Jersey Citizen Action's Voter Guide in Lame Attempt to Defeat Linda Stender
Statement of Phyllis Salowe-Kaye,
Executive Director of New Jersey Citizen Action
Newark, NJ — Today, New Jersey Citizen Action, the state's largest independent citizen watchdog organization learned that the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) is citing its 2006 7th District Congressional Voter Guide in a desperate attempt to defeat State Assemblywoman Linda Stender who is this year's democratic candidate for the 7th district house seat.
A 7th district voter contacted Citizen Action to tell the organization about the direct mail ad they had received attacking Stender's positions on immigration reform and citing NJCA's Voter Guide as support for their claims.
"The NRCC is pathetic," said Phyllis Salowe-Kaye, New Jersey Citizen Action's Executive Director. The Republican Congressional Committee has completely distorted the information we provided voters about Linda Stender's stand on the issues in 2006. They claim our voter guide supports their false claim that she 'supports raising income, payroll and capital gains taxes to hand out free health care to illegal immigrants'. Nothing could be further from the truth," added Salowe-Kaye
In 2006, as part of the organization's civic engagement work, Citizen Action surveyed candidates and researched their voting records and public positions on a number of issues including health care and immigration reform. This information was compiled into district voting guides and made available to its members and to the public.
In 2006, and on the question of immigration reform, Linda Stender actually supported:
- Immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship for hard-working, tax-paying
immigrants
- Immigration reforms that ensure all workers access to fair wages and affordable health
care
- Federal funding for health coverage for legal immigrants
(Here is a copy of New Jersey Citizen Action's 2006 7th District Congressional Voter Guide.)
"It's not surprising that the Republican Committee resorts to these kinds of dirty tricks and smear campaigns," said Salowe-Kaye. "We trust that voters in the 7th district will see through these misrepresentations. Voters care about the issues, not about phony PR tactics. As the state's largest citizen watchdog we are proud of the work we do to provide voters with the information they need to make the best choices when they go into the voting booth."
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