Yesterday was the last day of voting in the longest, strangest and most consequential election we have ever seen. While a record number of Americans voted, tens of millions of those votes have not yet been counted and it may be days or even weeks before we know the outcome of many key races.
But we know this for sure: NJEA members made a difference. For months, NJEA members worked on behalf of our endorsed, pro-education candidates up and down the ballot, and we are already seeing the benefits of that hard work.
At the presidential level neither candidate has secured the 270 electoral votes needed to win the election. However, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris remain in a very strong position to win as the remaining votes are counted in a handful of close but Democratic-leaning states with enough electoral votes to put them over the top. Election officials warned for weeks that the winner of this election could take days or longer to finally determine as an unprecedented 100 million Americans voted early, many of them by mail-in ballots. Total voter turnout, after all votes are counted, is expected to be the highest in history, and every vote must be counted.
In other federal races here in New Jersey, Sen. Cory Booker was easily reelected, along with at least 10 of our 11 endorsed congressional candidates: Donald Norcross, Andy Kim, Josh Gottheimer, Frank Pallone, Tom Malinowski, Albio Sires, Bill Pascrell, Donald Payne, Mikie Sherrill and Bonnie Watson Coleman. Amy Kennedy, running in CD2, remains locked in a very tight race that has not yet been called as of Wednesday morning. The uncounted votes in that district are enough to tip the election to her.
New Jersey also had a special legislative election in LD 25 where our endorsed candidates, Senator Anthony Bucco and Assemblywoman Aura Dunn, remain in a very tight race that is still too close to call as of Wednesday morning.
NJEA is also tracking results for 250 NJEA members who ran for local office across the state. Already, we know that at a number of them have been elected, bringing the voices of educators into positions of influence throughout New Jersey and we expect many more victories as all the votes are counted.
