The CDC joins Democrats nationwide in celebrating of the election of Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff to the U.S. Senate representing the great state of Georgia.
The two Democrats, elected in a special run-off race on January 6, will shift the balance of power in the US Senate, which has repercussions that extend far beyond Washington and to all of us in Cranbury.
One example of the local connection is that both men support President-Elect Biden’s goal to extend the most recent round of stimulus checks from $600 to $2,000. That effort would put money in the pockets of residents here at home.
Senator-Elect Warnock, who will be the first Black senator to represent Georgia, campaigned on several issues, one of which was restoring key provisions in the Voting Rights Act to protect voters against discrimination and disenfranchisement. He follows in the footsteps of Congressman John Lewis who represented Georgia for 33 years in the House until his passing in July 2020. Congressman Lewis was a key figure in the Civil Rights Movement, helping to organize the 1963 March on Washington that preceded the establishment of the Civil Rights Act the following year and the Voting Rights Act the year after that.
Senator-Elect Ossoff will be the first Jewish senator to represent Georgia. His key platform issues were extending the Affordable Care Act, protecting Medicare and Social Security, and working toward campaign finance reform.
Medical coverage and Social Security are also issues that impact Cranbury residents directly as more than 11% of the town’s population is over age 65 according to the most recent census data.
Warnock and Ossoff also will be able to support President-Elect Biden–a public transport advocate sometimes referred to as “Amtrak Joe”–on major infrastructure efforts with direct benefits for New Jerseyans.
President-Elect Biden’s to-do list includes the fast-tracking of infrastructure projects that would likely include the Gateway Tunnel under the Hudson River that would serve as a massive boon for New Jersey commuters who work in New York.
The Gateway project, which was supposed to be completed in 2018, stalled under the leadership of Republican Governor Chris Christie and was stymied again when President Trump actively sought to sabotage the effort based on his rivalry with New York Senator and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
The Cranbury CDC looks forward to the quality of life improvements we will see as a result of the herculean efforts of Georgia Democrats to get out the vote to elect Ossoff and Rev. Warnock.