Linda Weber

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Linda Weber

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Linda Weber was a 2018 Democratic candidate who sought election to the U.S. House to represent the 7th Congressional District of New Jersey.

The Democratic primary for New Jersey's 7th Congressional District decided which Democrat would take on incumbent Leonard Lance (R) in a district that voted for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election.

A banking executive who worked extensively in financial technology, Weber was running for Congress in opposition to what she saw as the hostility of the Trump administration and the Republican Party toward women. "Donald Trump’s behavior, actions, and rhetoric are unacceptable, but what’s worse is the refusal of House Republicans to hold him accountable. In my district, Congressman Leonard Lance, who I am challenging, is actively enabling President Trump," she said.

After Tom Malinowski received the endorsement of the Union County Democratic Committee over her in March 2018, Weber withdrew from the race. In a statement she said, "I will continue to work hard to help flip the 7th District and to elect more Democrats, and in particular, more women."

Weber raised about $320,000 for her campaign in 2017. She received the support of local figures and organizations like Berkeley Heights Councilwoman Susan Poage, the Somerset County Democratic Committee, and the Essex County Democratic Committee.

Weber's professional experience includes working as a banking executive, founding two startup companies, and building some of the initial consumer online banking platforms in the United States. She received her B.A. in political science and community health and her M.S. in health policy analysis from the University of Rochester.

For more information about the Democratic primary election: New Jersey's 7th Congressional District election (June 5, 2018 Democratic primary)

For more information about the general election on November 6, 2018: New Jersey's 7th Congressional District election, 2018

Biography

Weber's professional experience includes working in banking and with financial technology. She received her B.A. in political science and community health and her M.S. in health policy analysis from the University of Rochester.

Elections

2018

See also: New Jersey's 7th Congressional District election, 2018

Weber ultimately did not file to run.

Endorsements

Click here to see a list of endorsements in the Democratic primary

Ballotpedia tracks endorsements by organizations and elected officials. As of March 6, 2018, we have located the following endorsements in this race. To notify us of other endorsements, please email us. County parties in New Jersey often offer endorsements, and their endorsed candidates appear together on the county party's ballot line. Democratic primary endorsements Endorsement Date Jacob Jois Malinowski Weber State figures Myra Terry, founder of Emerge New Jersey Unknown ✔ Former candidates Scott Salmon February 16, 2018 ✔ Lisa Mandelblatt February 7, 2018 ✔ Local figures Christopher Capodice, Springfield Township committeeman March 2, 2018 ✔ Susan Poage, Berkeley Heights councilwoman February 28, 2018 ✔ Richard Sun, former Summit councilman-at-large January 22, 2018 ✔ Ted Romankow, former Union County prosecutor and former mayor of Berkeley Heights January 22, 2018 ✔ Jordan Glatt, former mayor of Summit Unknown ✔ Organizations Our Revolution March 14, 2018 ✔ Union County Democratic Committee March 13, 2018 ✔ End Citizens United March 1, 2018 ✔ Hunterdon County Democratic Committee February 4, 2018 ✔ Somerset County Democratic Committee January 25, 2018 ✔ Essex County Democratic Committee January 25, 2018 ✔ Network for Public Education Action June 26, 2017 ✔ Brand New Congress Unknown ✔ Civil Rights Pioneers Unknown ✔ Justice Democrats Unknown ✔ Women for Tom Malinowski Unknown ✔ Morris County Democratic Committee Unknown ✔ Warren County Democratic Committee Unknown ✔

Campaign finance

The table below contains data from FEC Quarterly January 2018 reports. It includes only candidates who have reported at least $10,000 in campaign contributions as of December 31, 2017.
Democrats

Campaign themes

2018

Weber's campaign website stated the following:

“	Safeguarding Our Health Care “Access to affordable health care is fundamental.” Linda believes that ensuring access to quality and affordable health care is fundamental. To this end, she is unequivocal in her support of Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act. She will fight to protect Medicare, safeguard Medicaid, and strengthen the Affordable Care Act by adding the public option. Linda understands that a woman’s ability to decide when she will start a family is directly tied to her economic well-being, which is why she will advance legislation that expands access to free contraception. She will also oppose any efforts to defund Planned Parenthood and work to restore its funding so that it can continue to meet the critical health care needs of millions of women. Like the overwhelming majority of voters in New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District and the country, Linda thinks that it is unconscionable that President Trump and Republicans in Congress are trying to eliminate insurance coverage of essential women’s health services. Linda will fight to ensure that women’s health services are covered by insurance and that women are not financially penalized for their gender. Given the ongoing opioid crisis that is devastating families and communities in New Jersey and the country, Linda is committed to increasing funding for prevention programs and access to treatment. In addition to expanding access to treatment, Linda will also work to improve access to treatment facilities. Buiding an Innovative and Equitable Economy “A 21st century economy requires a 21st century approach.” An early pioneer in the tech industry, Linda has firsthand knowledge of the innovation economy. She understands the opportunities and the challenges that it presents. Most importantly, she knows what it takes to prepare our children to access the opportunities and to ensure that our workers are not left behind. To this end, Linda will focus on policies aimed at making sure that our education system is adequately preparing our children to be flexible, dynamic, and ultimately successful in the evolving economic landscape. She is also committed to advancing policies that provide pathways for workers to transition to new and better opportunities including entrepreneurship. Linda recognizes that advances in tech can benefit entrepreneurs, which is why she will work to strengthen and expand programs that train and support entrepreneurship. In keeping with her commitment to supporting workers, Linda is an advocate of the $15 dollar minimum wage. Full-time workers should not have to rely on government assistance to support their families. In addition to increasing the minimum wage, Linda is a strong proponent of reinvesting in our aging infrastructure. Not only does it provide jobs for New Jerseyans, but it also a necessity, as we have learned from the recent train derailments at New York Penn Station. That’s why Linda fully supports the Gateway Project, which will provide a much-needed new rail tunnel into New York. She is also an advocate of the creation of an infrastructure bank to fund critical projects. While we are a country that values the growth of innovation, we should also be a country that prepares our workers to benefit from it. Standing Up for Women’s Rights “I’ve been fighting this fight, and I will continue to fight this fight.” As an executive in internet technology and banking, Linda fought for promotions and pay equity for the women and people of color who worked for her. She challenged recruiters to present a diverse group of candidates, and didn’t allow prior low salaries to dictate what the new employee’s salary should be. Linda will continue to fight to ensure that women receive equal pay for equal work and have equal access to opportunity. Linda is pro-choice and will oppose any policies that restrict a woman’s freedom to make her own health choices. Linda fully supports and will fight to protect Planned Parenthood. She will also work to advance legislation that increases affordable access to contraception. As a successful working mother, Linda understands that a woman’s ability to decide when she will start a family is directly tied to her economic wellbeing. As demonstrated in Colorado, providing free long-acting birth control leads to substantial reductions in the number of women on public assistance, teenage pregnancies, and abortions. Linda will also work to increase access to affordable childcare. Having raised two boys while working full time, she understands the importance of childcare options. She is a strong supporter of early education and universal pre-kindergarten. Advancing LGBTQ & Civil Rights “Ensuring that all Americans are afforded the same rights should not be up for debate.” While significant progress has been made in ensuring that all Americans enjoy the same rights and privileges, injustice still persists particularly for traditionally marginalized communities. The LGBTQ community continues to confront discrimination. Americans of color also continue to face bias and institutionalized barriers to equality. Linda will advance policies that combat bigotry in all of its destructive forms. She will also fight against any efforts by the Trump administration to turn back the clock on equality. In 2016, states across the country introduced and passed several anti-LGBT laws. Linda will work to secure legal protections against any policies that discriminate against Americans because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. African Americans also continue to face structural inequality particularly with respect to the criminal justice system. The data shows that African Americans are more likely to be stopped, arrested, and subjected to harsher sentencing than any other group in the country. Linda will prioritize and work to finally enact criminal justice reform. Since the election of President Trump, there has been an increase in the number of reported hate crimes. Linda will stand up against the toxic rhetoric from President Trump and some of his allies that is being directed at our Hispanic and Muslim communities. Linda will also be a strong voice against anti-Semitism. Throughout Linda’s career she has led by example in championing inclusion and ensuring that women, people of color, and members of the LGBTQ community had equal access to opportunity under her leadership. Linda has built a successful career benefiting from working with diverse teams so she understands firsthand that diversity is a strength. Protecting the Environment “Protecting the water that we drink and the air that we breathe should not be negotiable. Linda believes that climate change is real and driven by human activity, and that it is our responsibility to address it. To this end, she fully supports the historic climate change agreement reached in Paris in 2015 as well as taking additional action to reduce our emissions. Although New Jersey has made significant progress in combatting its pollution problems, serious issues remain. Currently, many towns in the 7th Congressional District are being impacted by pollution from a coal-fired power plant in Pennsylvania. According to a recent study conducted by the University of Pennsylvania and Lehigh University, women in these communities have had a greater risk of having babies with a low or very low birth weight — less than 5½ pounds — than did women in similar communities with similar backgrounds. This is unacceptable, and Linda will fight to ensure that the Environmental Protection Agency is empowered to settle cross-border pollution problems. Additionally, high levels of lead are being discovered in the drinking water in New Jersey communities. Linda will fight for funding to replace our aging water infrastructure so that New Jersey does not have a tragic situation like what occurred in Flint, Michigan. Many New Jersey residents remember when our families could not enjoy our beaches because of contamination from medical waste washing up on the shores. The business and tourism industry were estimated to have lost $1 billion and our small businesses were hit particularly hard. Linda will fight to keep us from returning to those unconscionable circumstances. Supporting Public Education “Investing in public education is an investment in all of us.” As a working mom with two sons in college, Linda understands the financial hardships families face when children pursue higher education. Earning a college degree is, for many, a path to a better life; unfortunately, research shows it has become impossible for today’s students to work their way through college when the costs of a higher education are sky-high. Linda believes state and community colleges should be debt-free for all students who are qualified to attend. Students should also have the opportunity to attend all types of high-quality vocational and career training programs; however, Linda believes these programs must be carefully regulated to protect students from predatory practices. The 7th Congressional District is home to some of the best public school districts in the nation. Linda believes that all children deserve the same great education her own sons received in their public school. Teachers should be accountable but free to teach, and testing should be scaled back to reasonable levels so students can enjoy a broad curriculum including the arts, lab sciences, and physical education. When children arrive at the schoolhouse door, they must be ready to learn. High-quality Pre-K and childcare are essential if our students are to succeed; that’s why Linda believes in fully funding Head Start and other successful early childhood initiatives. Public schools need adequate funding to successfully educate all students. Private school vouchers, however, drain money away from public schools, often into programs that are less effective. Linda will fight against the privatization of our public education system and fight for more resources for students with special needs. She will also work to make sure charter schools maintain their original mission as laboratories of innovation, and don’t impose fiscal burdens on hosting public school districts.	”
—Linda Weber’s campaign website (2018)

See also

• United States House of Representatives
• New Jersey's 7th Congressional District election, 2018
• New Jersey's 7th Congressional District

Footnotes

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New Jersey's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Cory Booker (D)

Andrew Kim (D)

Representatives

District 1

Donald Norcross (D)

District 2

Jeff Van Drew (R)

District 3

Herbert Conaway (D)

District 4

Chris Smith (R)

District 5

Josh Gottheimer (D)

District 6

Frank Pallone (D)

District 7

Thomas Kean (R)

District 8

Robert Menendez (D)

District 9

Nellie Pou (D)

District 10

LaMonica McIver (D)

District 11

Mikie Sherrill (D)

District 12

Bonnie Coleman (D)

Democratic Party (11)

Republican Party (3)