On Wednesday, September 28th, 2022, Stockton Democrats held a Town hall meeting with Tim Alexander, the Democratic candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in South Jersey’s 2nd Congressional District. Alexander, who is one of the major candidates, will be running against the Republican incumbent, Rep. Jeff Van Drew in the November 8th House of Representatives elections in New Jersey.

The meeting, which had a moderate attendance, aimed to engage Alexander with questions and to create an avenue for students to apprise him of their desires for a better South Jersey. Alexander is a former Detective Captain of the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office, but he currently serves as Helmer’s “Of Counsel” for Helmer, Conley & Kasselman in Philadelphia.

Alexander started his presentation by delivering a short speech detailing his agenda if elected into office. He stated that he is very passionate about college students and aims at being able to represent them effectively and well in congress. He also declared that his program is based on the values of transparency and accountability.

In his opinion, students should be demanding their needs now because the ‘future’ that everyone has been looking forward to is not tomorrow but now. He wrapped up his speech by asking a question – “What can he do for young people and what can they do for him?”

One of the students present at the meeting who spoke on condition of anonymity said that he is more interested in how the Democratic-led government can create more measures to tackle climate change and create a more sustainable environment. He then questioned Alexander by asking how Alexander intends to create a more sustainable South Jersey.

Mr. Alexander answered the question by saying that he supports President Biden’s environmental and infrastructure plans and that he will work to ensure that South Jersey is ably represented in Congress. He further stressed his commitment to protecting women’s rights, creating affordable health care, and providing social justice while protecting civil rights among others.

Most of the students in attendance seemed to appreciate his willingness to attend the town hall meeting and wished him the best of luck as he contests in the November 8 elections. Alexander will be visiting Stockton again on Wednesday, October 19th, 2022 for a one-hour debate against his Republican counterpart, Rep. Jeff Van Drew. The debate will take place at 6:00 p.m. in the Galloway campus’s Campus Center Theater.