New Jersey
Campos-Medina jumps into Democratic Senate primary – New Jersey Globe
Patricia Campos-Medina, a labor leader and longtime figure in New Jersey progressive circles, launched her campaign for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate today, joining a growing field of candidates vying to replace indicted Senator Bob Menendez.
“For the last couple of months, I’ve been speaking to voters across New Jersey, and leaders across the country, who want to see a woman of color with my record of fighting for working families and unions enter this race,” Campos-Medina told the New Jersey Globe. “I have over 25 years of advocacy on behalf of working families, and they want to see someone with a real record of advocating for middle-class jobs and for working families.”
Campos-Medina, who has long worked behind-the-scenes on campaigns but who has never before run for political office herself, emphasized that one of her key priorities is maintaining Hispanic representation in the Senate – something that’s been jeopardized by the federal charges against Menendez, the first and so far only Latino senator from New Jersey.
“The senator has been a champion for many issues, but he’s no longer an effective representative given the accusations against him,” Campos-Medina said. “He will have the opportunity in the court of law to prove himself innocent… But this is not about him. This race is about the future of New Jersey, and about the future of political representation for Latinos in this state.”
Menendez has not said whether he will try to run for another term this year, but he would be extraordinarily unlikely to win if he does. Instead, the two frontrunners for his Senate seat are First Lady Tammy Murphy and Rep. Andy Kim (D-Moorestown); progressive activist Larry Hamm is also running, and now Campos-Medina has added her name to the list as well.
Campos-Medina was born in El Salvador and immigrated to the United States as a teenager. After graduating from Cornell, she quickly became involved with labor unions like UNITE and SEIU, and also held jobs on Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign and former New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine’s 2009 re-election bid.
Now a resident of Hunterdon County, Campos-Medina serves in leadership roles in a number of New Jersey progressive groups, including the New Jersey Working Families Party, New Jersey Citizen Action, and Latina Civic PAC.
If elected, Campos-Medina said she would focus on many of the issues that she’s already advocated for in New Jersey: increasing the minimum wage, strengthening unions, building affordable housing, and protecting abortion access. She said that advocating for Black and Latino communities’ interests would also be a top priority; she would be just the second Latina to ever serve in the United States Senate if she were to win.
But Campos-Medina faces a tough path to the Democratic nomination. Democratic leaders in many of New Jersey’s largest counties have already said they’re supporting Murphy, who is likely to have the county organizational line in most of the state; Kim, meanwhile, has a big lead in publicly released polls and a major fundraising headstart.
In order to level the playing field, Campos-Medina said that the county line should be eliminated, a call that’s been echoed by Kim (but, pointedly, not by Murphy).
“We need a fair and open primary,” she said. “New Jersey voters are disgusted by these backroom deals and the party line. The fact that the party bosses endorsed Tammy Murphy so early, trying to dissuade everybody else from running – that hasn’t happened. People are upset, organizations are upset about these backroom deals. And the power of the line is crumbling.”
The line isn’t likely to go anywhere, though, and Campos-Medina said she’ll fight for county party endorsements wherever possible. Everywhere else, she said she plans to take the fight directly to the voters of New Jersey, with whom the outcome of the June 4 primary ultimately rests.
“I will speak to every Democratic voter and every county committeemember who wants to hear my message,” Campos-Medina said. ““I have been part of many campaigns. I have been a campaign manager, a campaign fundraiser, a field operative… I know how the sausage is made in policy and politics.”
FIFA and New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill have become embroiled in a war of words this past week as the prospect of $150 train tickets to travel to World Cup games and plans to close parts of New York’s Penn Station have angered residents.
The recent uproar began after reports surfaced April 6 that parts of Penn Station would be closed to NJ Transit commuters not attending World Cup games for four hours before kickoff during the eight matches at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium.
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Moreover, round-trip train tickets between Penn Station in Manhattan and MetLife Stadium, where the final of the FIFA World Cup is set to be played, were announced by NJ Transit to come in at $150 per person.
A return ride on the same line typically costs $12.90, according to NJ Transit.
The FIFA World Cup Trophy is displayed during the Los Angeles stop of The FIFA World Cup 26 Trophy Tour by Coca-Cola at LA Live in Los Angeles on March 24, 2026.
In a press release on April 17, Sherrill said the move to increase prices was caused by FIFA’s decision to eliminate parking at MetLife Stadium. The Democratic governor said price increases happened because FIFA did not agree to cover the costs of transporting fans.
“We are committed to ensuring costs are shared fairly. As I have said repeatedly, FIFA should cover the cost of transporting its fans. If it won’t, we will not be subsidizing World Cup ticket holders on the backs of New Jerseyans who rely on NJ TRANSIT every day,” Sherrill said.
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More: Going to World Cup at MetLife Stadium? Expect $150 train tickets and no parking
FIFA, on the other hand, has said the price increase would have a “chilling effect” on fans attending games in New Jersey and said Sherrill’s demands asking FIFA to absorb transportation costs for fans were “unprecedented.”
“Elevated fares inevitably push fans toward alternative transportation options. This increases concerns of congestion, late arrivals, and creates broader ripple effects that ultimately diminish the economic benefit and lasting legacy the entire region stands to gain from hosting the World Cup,” Heimo Schirgi, COO for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, said in a statement to USA TODAY.
The NJ Transit logo is seen in the lobby of the New Jersey Transit headquarters ahead of a press briefing on the New York/New Jersey FIFA World Cup 2026 regional mobility plan in Newark, New Jersey on April 17, 2026.
What are other cities doing with World Cup transportation?
New Jersey has not been the only place where transportation costs have been the subject of discussion ahead of the World Cup. In Boston, round-trip train train tickets on the MBTA from Boston’s South Station to Gillette Stadium are being sold for $80.
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Special event trains to Foxborough for New England Patriots NFL games and New England Revolution MLS matches are usually $20 for a round trip, according to local news station CBS Boston.
Other cities have not seen increases like the ones in New Jersey and Boston. In Atlanta, for example, train fares on the city’s MARTA will be $2.50 per ride, with children able to travel for free with a paying adult.
Kansas City is offering $15 round-trip shuttle rides for fans parking in four different park-and-ride locations, as well as those coming from FIFA’s Fan Festival in the city. Los Angeles, on the other hand, is offering fans a $3.50 round trip train ticket on its Metro Train.
SEPTA in Philadelphia is also keeping its prices low, with fans set to pay the base $2.90 fare for a ride on its Broad Street Line, which takes riders to Lincoln Financial Field, set to host six matches.
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Katie Sobko from USA TODAY Network’s NorthJersey.com contributed to this report.
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: World Cup fans going to MetLife Stadium to pay $150 for NJT ticket
Who’s footing the bill to get to the FIFA World Cup? That’s the question on everyone’s mind as New Jersey gears up to host eight games at MetLife Stadium this summer.
Governor Mikie Sherill says the skyrocketing transportation costs have a $50 million price tag — one that she’s not willing to pass on to commuters.
Ticket prices have been a hot topic, but we may have to wait a bit longer for an answer.
Transportation officials on Friday will be talking about how NJ Transit service is going to be impacted.
Four hours before those matches, NJ Transit service from New York Penn Station to New Jersey is expected to be suspended, exclusively going to MetLife Stadium only.
Friday’s press conference is happening to discuss what alternatives there are for commuters during those four hours when service could be restricted.
Four World Cup matches are during the week, so this service disruption will impact the afternoon commute for many people.
There have been rumors recently that a round-trip New Jersey Transit ticket to attend the FIFA World Cup could cost up to $150. The normal price is $12.90.
A set price has not been announced yet, so that’s a big question still, and it may be brought up at Friday’s press conference or we may have to wait a bit longer for an answer.
NJ Transit says it’s going to cost around $48 million to provide service during the World Cup, primarily because of extra security.
Gov. Sherrill says she doesn’t want to pass that cost onto every everyday commuters.
She released a video on social media saying FIFA should pay for the rides, but FIFA says that’s not part of the original deal.
“I won’t stick New Jersey’s commuters with that tab for years to come. That’s not fair. So here’s the bottom line, FIFA should pay for the rides, but if they don’t, I’m not going to let New Jersey commuters get taken for one,” Sherrill said.
Sherrill says her predecessor set up the deal.
The press conference is set to be held at 11:30 a.m.
There is parking available at the American Dream Mall. Those prices are set by FIFA and could run over $200 per space.
Those who park at the mall will have access to mall festivities and celebrations.
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Democrat Analilia Mejia won a New Jersey special election for the US House on Thursday, defeating Republican Joe Hathaway on a message of standing up to Donald Trump.
Mejia, a former head of the Working Families Alliance who had support from the senator Bernie Sanders, will fill the seat previously held by the Democratic governor Mikie Sherrill and serve until January.
Her victory is a win for progressives and means Democrats hold on to the 11th district seat in the House, where Republicans hold a thin majority. It also adds to a string of victories for Democrats heading into this year’s midterm elections.
The Associated Press called the race for Mejia minutes after the polls closed.
Mejia emerged from a crowded primary in February and cast the race as a test of Trump’s leadership. She criticized his pardons of people convicted of January 6-related crimes and faulted him for freezing funds authorized by Congress.
“The people here are ready to do something about it,” she said recently. “We’re not here to write strongly worded letters. Congress has real power.”
She campaigned on populist economic policies and pushing to abolish US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. She has criticized the Israeli government and said she stands with Palestinian communities in their “pursuit of peace and dignity”.
Hathaway tried to use Mejia’s progressive credentials to his advantage, as national Republicans cast her as a socialist.
“I’m running to bring common-sense leadership to D.C + deliver results for our families, not push a far-left agenda,” Hathaway said in a recent social media post.
They could go head to head again in November’s election for a full two-year term.
The 11th district, which covers parts of Essex, Morris and Passaic counties in northern New Jersey’s wealthy suburbs, was long a Republican stronghold but has become increasingly Democratic since Trump’s first term.
Sherrill first won the seat in 2018’s midterm elections, when Democrats flipped dozens of seats to take control of Congress. In 2024, she won re-election by about 15 points, while Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, carried the district by nearly nine points.
Saran Cunningham, an 86-year-old retired special educator, said she was initially reluctant to support Mejia, worried that her views were too far to the left. She backed another candidate in the primary. But recently, outside the Morristown early polling location, she said she would now vote for Mejia.
“I think we’ve been tilting a little bit more to the right lately, which worries me,” Cunningham said. “I think that we need people in Congress who will fight for things that will help people as opposed to hurting them.”
Over the years, Mejia has been a regular presence in the state capitol, advocating for progressive causes, and was Sanders’s political director during his 2020 presidential run. During the Biden administration, she was deputy director of the labor department’s women’s bureau. In addition to winning Sanders’s endorsement, she was backed by the US representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and the senator Elizabeth Warren.
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