As we begin the second month of 2026, we want to share with you the work of the Green Party of New Jersey (GPNJ),  its achievements and successes of 2025, and ask for your support so we can build on those successes in 2026!

In the midst of much turmoil, ongoing genocides, concerns over negative changes in the environment, and brutal ICE raids, GPNJ continued its efforts to organize for peace, justice, and a more sustainable environment. In fact, we MADE SOME PROGRESS AND HAD SOME VICTORIES!

Unquestionably, we need to do more and need to continue to pressure both mainstream parties, one of which is promoting the ongoing fascist regime currently in power, while the other sits back and enables it. Our focus continues to be the electoral process and grass-roots organizing, a combination that has resulted in several victories, even as we must continue the fight in both areas.

First, the legislative victories.

1. We endorsed and participated in multiple events in NJ in support of Ranked Choice Voting (RCV), something many people recognize as a key to further democratization of our elections. The towns of South Brunswick, Collingswood, and the Maplewood/South Orange Board of Education passed resolutions in 2025 in favor of the use of RCV in their elections. They join two cities that have already passed “trigger ordinances” and four others that passed resolutions supporting the use of RCV.

2. Working in coalition with other groups opposed to the US-Israeli genocide in occupied Palestine, we are happy to announce that to date, the extremely controversial and dangerous to free speech International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) bills DID NOT PASS! Hundreds of people attended and spoke against the bills at hearings in Trenton (including the leadership of GPNJ) and many others sent letters or wrote articles urging defeat of these bills. We must remain vigilant to ensure NJ’s anti-genocide activists’ activities will not be subject to the terms of this repressive legislation.

3. Working in coalition with many other pro-immigrant rights groups, we helped educate the public on the Immigrant Trust Act and lobbied Trenton, resulting in the passage of three pieces of pro-immigrant legislation, The Immigrant Protections Package, in both the NJ Senate and the Assembly. Unfortunately, former Governor Phil Murphy signed only the Safe Communities Act into law, abandoning the other two bills. We will not stop the work to pass the other two bills, and to fight to protect NJ’s immigrant community.

4. Our gubernatorial candidate, Lily Benavides, attended many meetings in Trenton focused on both of these efforts and also, together with other Greens, attended town council meetings in Bound Brook, Clifton, Montclair, and other locations, resulting in those towns either passing the Immigrant Trust Act or speaking up on behalf of the immigrant populations in their towns.

Grassroots organizing efforts:

1. GPNJ established its Arab-Muslim Caucus, which helped educate New Jersey about these important legislative battles and of GPNJ’s write-in candidate for governor, the ONLY anti-genocide candidate that was in the race.

2. Greens attended anti-genocide vigils throughout New Jersey, including those organized by the newly formed Green Party of South Jersey. These vigils took place in Mount Laurel and Collingswood, South Orange and Maplewood, Paterson, and so many other locations, it is almost impossible to list them all.

3. GPNJ worked with multiple community organizations to run movie screenings, political education sessions, a joint “Socialism School” with PSL, monthly sessions surrounding policing and abolition, as well as hosting multiple webinars focused on a variety of issues impacting our community members.

4. One of our members had a book published on the ongoing genocide in Gaza and the West Bank. The book was aimed at young adults. Almost 200 copies of the book were sold, both in the US and Colombia. GPNJ was able to send almost $1000 to a family in Gaza and another $1000 to the West Bank family that was the inspiration for the book.

5. Greens attended numerous anti-ICE and pro-immigrant actions throughout the state, including those at detention sites in Elizabeth and Newark. Some participate in the Rapid Response network.

6. Members of GPNJ stood in the pouring rain in New Brunswick one Saturday afternoon, stopping traffic for 15 minutes, to call attention to the police killing of Deborah Terrell, a 68-year old grandmother with a disability. They joined dozens of others in this action.

Elections:

1. Despite the Morris County Democratic Organization’s efforts to suppress GPNJ and “protect” their weak Gubernatorial Candidate, knocking more than 500 hard-earned legitimate signatures off a 2nd set of petitions submitted to the New Jersey Division of Elections, when GPNJ had to substitute our first gubernatorial candidate (Stephen Zielinski) with our second gubernatorial candidate (Lily Benavides), GPNJ ran an extensive write-in campaign, throughout the state, letting people know that they had a clear alternative in the 2025 gubernatorial election besides Mikie Sherrill (D) and Jack Ciattarelli (Rep). Most of the people the campaign encountered expressed frustration, disappointment, and opposition to the positions and actions of those two candidates. We handed out hundreds of palm cards at dozens of events from September 2025 through Election Day, informing NJ residents of our gubernatorial campaign.

2. GPNJ intends to continue to raise concerns about NJ’s electoral process. This may include legal action as a response to the Morris County Democratic Organization’s efforts that disenfranchised over 500 legitimate voters, many with Arabic names and many with Latino names (who willingly signed the petition) and knocked our candidate, Lily Benavides, off the ballot.

3. GPNJ also supported Green Party campaigns for NJ Assembly in South Jersey, with both Steve Welzer and Robin Brownfield working tirelessly to raise awareness of the vital issues within their legislative districts, and those facing us all. We supported Barry Bendar’s campaign for Lacey Township Committee, raising issues of overdevelopment and the need to preserve historic buildings, while preventing the construction of another franchise convenience store.

We are already gearing up for the 2026 election season, including looking for candidates to run for the House of Representatives and the US Senate, along with local government offices. If you are interested in running for office, please fill out our Candidate Intake Form. If you are interested in attending Green Party of South Jersey's monthly meetings, GPNJ’s monthly meetings, or starting something local, please contact us at [email protected].

And lastly, we ask this knowing how difficult things are for so many people reading this email. Please, if you can, donate generously to the work of GPNJ, so we can continue our efforts to provide a genuine alternative to the uni-party (yes, they work in tandem), represented by the Democrats and Republicans. We need to be prepared to pick up the reins of leadership as these two parties continue to decline and fail. Your help is greatly needed and appreciated.

Use this link to go to the GPNJ donation page.

In Solidarity,

Green Party of New Jersey