Former Army paratrooper Zach Beecher has picked up an endorsement from the National Association of Government Employees, the first union to weigh in on Beecher’s behalf in the special election for New Jersey’s 11th congressional district.
“We are proud to stand with Zach Beecher because he understands what it means to serve this country,” NAGE National President David Holway said in a statement. “At a time when federal workers are facing unprecedented threats – from forced relocations to the revival of ‘Schedule F’ aimed at politicizing our workforce – we need a fighter in Washington who respects the oath we all took. Zach Beecher has defended our Constitution in uniform, and we know he will defend the workers who uphold it every day.”
NAGE is an SEIU affiliate that represents more than 100,000 active and retired government employees nationwide.
Organized labor has become increasingly splintered in the 12-way Democratic primary for the 11th district, which will host a special election next year to replace Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill.
Four other candidates – Essex County Commissioner Brendan Gill (D-Montclair), Bernie Sanders 2020 national political director Analilia Mejia, former Rep. Tom Malinowski, and Passaic County Commissioner John Bartlett (D-Wayne) – have received endorsements from at least one union, with Gill and Mejia getting the lion’s share of labor support thus far.
