Stephanie Schmid Is The Leader We Need Now

If ever there was a time America needed leadership, it is now. President Trump has bungled his way through a health and economic catastrophe that has left 215,000 dead and cratered state and household budgets. He has sowed doubt about the legitimacy of our elections and laid the groundwork for an unprecedented electoral crisis. What’s more, with the all but certain confirmation of Amy Coney Barret, we face a realistic possibility of the Supreme Court overturning the Affordable Care Act, Roe v. Wade, and marriage equality.

While Trump’s lies and incompetence paved the way for these converging crises, congressional Republicans who didn’t push back against Trump’s lies or counter their own party’s crusade against healthcare, COVID relief, and constitutional rights share equal blame.
In New Jersey’s Fourth Congressional District, thirty-nine year incumbent Republican Chris Smith is a prime example. His lack of leadership shows he is not the representative NJ needs in these extraordinary times.

Smith did nothing to bolster faith in our elections by remaining silent while Trump lied repeatedly about vote-by-mail, primed his base to assume a delay caused by counting mail-in ballots equates to a stolen election, and admitted to undermining the Postal Service to disenfranchise voters.

Nor did it help that Smith endorsed Trump’s behavior when Trump tried to extort Ukraine into investigating Biden, and then remained silent while Trump and the rest of the GOP pushed Putin’s propaganda that Ukraine, not Russia, interfered in 2016. Russia is once again spreading false information to aid Trump. Smith remains unperturbed.

Trump’s lies have worsened the COVID crisis, but Smith didn’t say a word when Trump claimed that Democrats, the CDC, and the FDA were lying about coronavirus to hurt him electorally, retweeted articles claiming the real COVID death toll is 9,000, lied about the dangers of the virus, risked supporters' lives at indoor rallies, or pressured appointees to influence CDC reports.
We certainly can’t rely on Smith to restore the protections of the ACA if it’s overturned - he opposed the ACA for years, and offered only a quiet objection while his party came within one vote of repeal in 2017. And even though millions of Americans had already lost job-based insurance due to COVID, Smith voted against expanding the ACA in June.

Smith also failed to alleviate NJ’s economic crisis when he voted against the original and compromise versions of the HEROES Act. Both contained aid for state and local governments, extra unemployment benefits, funding to help people avoid evictions and foreclosures, expanded SNAP benefits, funding for the Postal Service, additional stimulus payments, and a repeal of the $10,000 SALT cap.

And don’t expect Smith - with his lifelong opposition to reproductive and LGBT rights - to be an advocate for our fellow citizens if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade or marriage equality.
As a senior Republican, Smith should have been a voice of reason. Instead, he either embraced or failed to thwart the worst inclinations of Trump and the GOP.

It is time to elect Stephanie Schmid, who is challenging Smith for his seat. As a Foreign Service Officer, Stephanie served in nations experiencing a health crisis and won’t let life-saving science be ignored or manipulated for political gain. She has worked to ensure fair elections internationally and will not remain silent while a president sows doubt about the legitimacy of our own.

Stephanie supports a healthcare plan which automatically enrolls uninsured or underinsured individuals in a safety-net program while allowing people to keep their private plans. This way, households won’t go broke over medical bills or end up uninsured when a family member is unemployed.

Stephanie has also worked as an attorney for the Center for Reproductive Rights and developed the “Reproductive Rights are Human Rights” act. Unlike Smith, she supports reproductive rights and LGBT rights because the Constitution and human decency demand it.
And Stephanie knew the HEROES Act was the best deal for New Jersey. She would have fought for us in these difficult times with her voice and her vote. Smith’s shortcomings have left the sanctity of our elections, our health, and the rights of women and LGBT Americans in jeopardy. It’s time for real leadership. Elect Stephanie Schmid.