Dear Latino
Voters,
I’ll be blunt –
it is up to Latinos to stop Donald Trump. Our opportunity comes on November 6
when we must elect leaders who will stand up to a man who has unceasingly
vilified our community. Here in New Jersey, we are privileged to have an enviable
group of Democratic candidates. In fact, the top of the ballot is one of our
own – Senator Bob Menendez. While he has been a proven fighter on behalf of
better health care, gun safety measures, and immigration, his opponent, Bob
Hugin, is fighting against us.
Look at Bob
Hugin’s record. He is a top supporter of Donald Trump. In fact, during the 2016
presidential campaign, he donated over $200,000 to Trump. Hugin did this even
after Trump called Mexicans “rapists” and even after he bragged about sexually
assaulting women.
But we shouldn’t
be surprised by Hugin’s actions. He has been devoted to extreme Republican
causes his entire career. He has donated thousands to the Heritage Foundation,
a right-wing organization that rejects any common-sense gun safety measures and
has taken a racist stand against comprehensive immigration reform. Moreover,
the organization has repeatedly attacked unions and public schools. How could
Bob Hugin support a candidate and organization that are so out of touch with New
Jersey values and think he is still qualified to represent our incredibly
diverse state?
His poor
political record is only surpassed by his horrible business career. While the
head of a Big Pharma company, Hugin took dead aim at cancer patients. Specifically,
Hugin doubled the price of the cancer medication Revlimid to over $18,000 a
month. In 2017 alone, he raised the cost of Revlimid three times. Hugin and his
company were also forced to settle with the federal government for $280 million
for swindling cancer patients. Meanwhile, he was given a salary of $140 million
and then bought three houses and a yacht.
Additionally, he
stood outside the White House after meeting with Trump and praised Trump’s
health plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act. That would again hurt New
Jersey’s most vulnerable residents. 3.5 million New Jerseyans with pre-existing
conditions could lose their health care. Why does Hugin keep preying on our
neighbors that need the most help from our government leaders?
As bleak as
Hugin’s record is, Senator Menendez’s career of representing us is undoubtedly
bright. He is with us on issues we care about, and he has delivered time and
again. First and foremost, he was a leading voice in passing the Affordable
Care Act. He stood with President Obama and made sure New Jerseyans received
increased access to affordable health care. He has also stood up to Trump and
the Republican Party. He voted each and every time against the efforts by
Republicans to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
Senator Menendez
is also pushing to hold people like Bob Hugin accountable. He is cosponsoring
important legislation that will no longer allow pharmaceutical companies from
blocking affordable, generic drugs from entering the market. That is the kind
of leadership we need.
And Sen.
Menendez never forgets his roots. His parents fled Cuba as refugees and settled
in New Jersey. He was a product of public school and rose to become the first
statewide Latino leader in the state. He has always looked out for people who
are also trying to live the American Dream. Exhibit A is his work on
comprehensive immigration reform. In 2013, he worked with Senator John McCain
and six other senators from both parties in order to create a path to
citizenship and other improvements to our immigration laws. While it passed the
Senate, far-right Republicans in the House stopped the bill from reaching
President Obama’s desk. Had Bob Hugin-funded Republicans signed on to the
common-sense bill, we would not have Trump vilifying our Latino community and
so many of our brothers and sisters would be living better lives.
So, the choice
should be clear, and it is why my organization, the Latino Action Network, did
not hesitate to endorse Senator Menendez. We need a true progressive who isn’t
afraid of Trump and who will vote to represent our interests. See you at the
polls on November 6.
Pa’lante!
Christian
Estevez, President
Latino Action
Network
