‘Policy Wonk’ Katie Brennan Kicks off Campaign for State Assembly
Unaffordable housing, unreliable trains and underfunded schools are among the state’s biggest problems, according to one candidate running for New Jersey State Assembly.
Democrat Katie Brennan kicked off her campaign Thursday night for Hudson County’s 32nd District, committing to fix the “broken systems” responsible for such challenges, as she says she has done over the course of career, while being “bold and dynamic” like the state’s residents.
On a raised platform in front of a packed bar at Ed & Mary’s in downtown Jersey City, Brennan explained how the opportunity to run a successful campaign arose because “New Jersey has a real democracy for the first time in a very long time.”
The Jersey City resident and others worked last year to eliminate the “county line” on election ballots, a controversial layout people argued was favoring candidates picked by the county’s political machine.
Brennan, 37, has lived in New Jersey and Jersey City for much of her life, but became widely known after working on Gov. Phil Murphy’s gubernatorial campaign and alleging a male staffer had raped her. Prosecutors declined to charge him. But she ultimately sued the state and Murphy’s campaign, and walked away with a $1 million settlement, which she donated to the The Waterfront Project, a not-for-profit that advocates for tenants.
She is launching her first-ever campaign for public office after clamors from people about running. Brennan left the stage — filled with her blue and white campaign signs and after giving a brief speech — to cheers of “Katie, Katie, Katie.”
“This election is about giving power back to people. It is about giving power back to you,” she said.