New Jersey US House District 8 Choose 1
Biographical Information
Campaign Email
AELIO.JC@PROTONMAIL.COM
Campaign phone
5512204502
Facebook Page
https://www.facebook.com/https://www.facebook.com/people/Aristotle-Eliopoulos-for-Congress/61590367117932/
Website
https://arieliopoulosforcongress.com/
What are the most important challenges facing our country, and how do you propose to address them?
The most important are the rising cost of living, the affordability and availability of housing, the quality of our education system, public safety, the national debt, immigration, and the growing political division that prevents Washington from solving problems.
First, we must make America more affordable. Working families are struggling with housing, groceries, energy, healthcare, and everyday expenses. I would support policies that increase housing supply, reduce unnecessary regulations that drive up costs, strengthen competition, and encourage good-paying jobs and American manufacturing. Government should stop making it harder for working people to get ahead.
Second, we must fix our education system. Every child deserves access to a quality education, regardless whether they have special needs.
What policies would you support to ease the cost of living and strengthen long-term economic stability for families in this district?
I would focus on making New Jersey more affordable for working families while creating an economy where people can build long-term financial security. I support expanding the supply of affordable and workforce housing, reducing unnecessary regulations and property-tax pressures, and lowering energy and healthcare costs. We should strengthen small businesses, attract good-paying jobs, expand vocational and career education, and invest in infrastructure that supports economic growth. I would also support policies that encourage responsible development and homeownership, protect seniors from being priced out of their communities, and help families save and build wealth. At the federal level, we must address wasteful spending and our growing national debt so today’s families are not forced to pay for tomorrow’s government. Economic policy should reward work, support families, and make it possible for people to afford a home, raise their children, and retire with dignity.
What changes would you support to make healthcare and mental health services more affordable, accessible, and easier to navigate?
I support a healthcare system that is affordable, accessible, and focused on patients rather than bureaucracy. We should increase competition and transparency in healthcare, lower prescription drug costs, strengthen protections for patients with pre-existing conditions, and expand access to primary and preventive care. Mental health services should be treated as an essential part of healthcare, with better insurance coverage, expanded access to counselors and behavioral health professionals, and stronger support for children, families, veterans, and people in crisis. We also need to address healthcare shortages by expanding telehealth and supporting providers in underserved communities. Navigating the system should not require patients to be experts in insurance. I would support simpler enrollment, clearer pricing, and better coordination between doctors, insurers, and patients so families can spend less time fighting bureaucracy and more time getting the care they need.
What is your position on immigration reform? What do you think the relationship between federal immigration enforcement and state or local government institutions should be?
I support comprehensive immigration reform that secures our borders, respects the rule of law, and recognizes America’s long history as a nation of immigrants. We need effective border security, a fair and efficient legal immigration system, timely processing of asylum claims, and meaningful consequences for those who enter or remain unlawfully. At the same time, people who follow the law, contribute to our communities, and seek legal status should have a clear and workable process.
Federal immigration law should be enforced primarily by the federal government, while state and local governments should focus on public safety and essential community services. Cooperation between federal, state, and local authorities should be clear, lawful, and respectful of constitutional rights. Local governments should not obstruct lawful federal enforcement, but federal agencies should also provide appropriate resources and accountability.
What is your stance on access to abortion and other reproductive healthcare? And what roles should the federal government and the states each play on reproductive healthcare?
I believe reproductive healthcare decisions should be made with compassion, respect for individual circumstances, and appropriate medical guidance, not dictated by political ideology. I support access to abortion and essential reproductive healthcare, while recognizing that Americans hold deeply held and sincere views on this issue.
The federal government should protect constitutional rights, ensure that patients can access medically necessary care, prevent discrimination, and establish consistent protections for healthcare providers and patients. States should retain an important role in regulating healthcare within their jurisdictions, provided those regulations do not unnecessarily interfere with patients’ ability to obtain lawful medical care.
What actions would you support to strengthen climate resilience and protect infrastructure and neighborhoods from the impact of extreme weather?
I support practical, cost-effective investments that make our communities more resilient to extreme weather while protecting taxpayers. We should modernize aging infrastructure, strengthen stormwater and drainage systems, improve flood prevention, reinforce the electrical grid, and invest in resilient roads, bridges, schools, and public facilities. Federal funding should prioritize communities most vulnerable to flooding, severe storms, extreme heat, and other climate-related risks, while encouraging state and local governments to plan for long-term resilience. I also support stronger building standards, expanded emergency preparedness, and faster recovery assistance for families and small businesses after disasters. We should use data and sound science to identify risks and prioritize projects based on measurable results. Climate resilience should not be a partisan issue it is about protecting lives, homes, businesses, infrastructure, and taxpayers while ensuring our communities are p
What measures do you support to expand voter access and restore trust in our elections?
I believe we can expand voter access while strengthening election integrity. We should make registration and voting more accessible, ensure secure and reliable voting systems, maintain accurate voter rolls, and provide transparent audits and clear election procedures. Election officials should operate independently and without political interference, while laws against fraud, intimidation, and interference should be enforced. Most importantly, voters should have confidence that every eligible vote is counted accurately and that our elections are secure, transparent, and fair.
Biographical Information
What are the most important challenges facing our country, and how do you propose to address them?
Working people face assaults on our wages and conditions, growing uncertainty and preparations by the US and rival capitalist powers for more wars. Their spreading conflicts are fueling the march toward World War III.
The road to prevent that is for the working class to replace capitalist rule with a government of our own and to run society for human need, not the bosses’ profits. The Socialist Workers Party is building a party capable of leading millions of workers to make that possible, as part of the fight for a socialist world.
The US oil blockade and threats against Cuba are aimed at overthrowing the socialist revolution there. Working people in the US should stand with fellow workers in Cuba and demand US Hands Off Cuba!
There are two wars in the Mideast. Washington’s war is for plunder and domination. Israel’s war is to prevent Tehran from carrying out another Holocaust.
US troops out of the Middle East! Defend Israel's right to exist as a refuge from Jew-hatred and pogroms!
What policies would you support to ease the cost of living and strengthen long-term economic stability for families in this district?
The Socialist Workers Party calls on fellow workers to join us at strike picket lines and to build solidarity with unions wherever workers are fighting the bosses’ attacks on our wages and conditions.
Workers need a course that strengthens confidence in our own worth and our ability to fight and organize together. We call for a public works program to provide jobs at union-scale wages to build hospitals, childcare centers and other infrastructure. We call for a shorter workweek with no cut in pay, with regular hours.
In the face of skyrocketing prices for food, electricity, rent we demand automatic cost-of-living increases in union contracts, pensions, and social security.
Working people need to break from the bosses’ Democratic and Republican parties that uphold their profit system and their class rule. Workers have the capacities to run society to meet the needs of the great majority, but only if we unite in our millions to take power into our own hands.
What changes would you support to make healthcare and mental health services more affordable, accessible, and easier to navigate?
Under capitalism health care is organized to maximize profits, not to provide people with the care they need. The Cuban Revolution shows how health care can be universal—but only because millions of workers and peasants took power transforming social relations and themselves.
We back the strikes by thousands of nurses and health care workers in the US who are fighting for more hiring so patients get properly treated. The hospital bosses have increased the work load on nurses putting patients’ lives at risk. Striking nurses have shown the kind of militant struggle that is needed. You will find SWP candidates on their picket lines building solidarity with these fights.
Advances for the working class don't come from begging capitalist politicians to make changes. They come through struggles by working people and our unions, and by organizing —independently of the bosses and their twin parties, the Democrats and Republicans.
What is your position on immigration reform? What do you think the relationship between federal immigration enforcement and state or local government institutions should be?
The Democrats and Republicans seek to divide working people, by blaming immigrants for the problems caused by the workings of capitalism. A union-led fight for amnesty for all workers in the US without papers is needed to unify the working class.
The SWP opposes raids, deportations and brutal treatment of immigrant workers at the hands of ICE agents. Winning an amnesty would end, for good, their second-class status.
SWP members have joined actions at Delaney Hall, Newark, to protest the treatment of immigrants held there. We’ve joined fights by families against attempts to have their loved ones deported. We will continue joining these struggles—which are in the interests of all workers—after the election.
Neither federal nor state governments have any right to trample on the constitutional protections of any person in the US, whether they have papers or not. That includes protection from unreasonable search and seizure by ICE.
What is your stance on access to abortion and other reproductive healthcare? And what roles should the federal government and the states each play on reproductive healthcare?
The Socialist Workers Party unconditionally supports the decriminalization of abortion and joins others in fighting for it. Our position flows from our support for the emancipation of women, from all forms of oppression.
This is a part of a broader fight for women's right to reproductive and maternal healthcare, sex education (not gender indoctrination), and access to the safest and most reliable contraceptive methods, as well as safe and legal abortion.
There can be no road to women’s emancipation or Black liberation separate and apart from a working-class struggle to confront capitalism’s social crisis. Today the fight for affordable family formation that includes living-wage jobs with regular hours and safe work conditions is key. Only with social and economic security can a woman freely decide when and if to have a child.
What actions would you support to strengthen climate resilience and protect infrastructure and neighborhoods from the impact of extreme weather?
Hundreds of millions worldwide have no electrical power. Nuclear power, which produces no greenhouse gas emissions, could solve this and improve lives, provided it is run under workers control, not under the capitalist profit system.
The scale of death and destruction from wildfires, earthquakes, floods is not inevitable. The course of capitalist governments—not “climate change”—turns extreme weather into social disasters. Capitalists’ profit priorities override any concern for working people. They decide not to build flood barriers or to reinforce housing in regions prone to earthquakes.
Unbridled capitalist development fouls the planet’s earth, waters and air—exploiting both labor and nature. The bosses’ dog-eat-dog system forces workers and farmers to live in the most flood-prone areas. In catastrophes like the floods in Nepal or earthquakes in Colombia, millions are left to fend for themselves, relying only on each other’s working-class solidarity.
What measures do you support to expand voter access and restore trust in our elections?
The 1965 Voting Rights Act barred measures preventing Blacks from voting. It was a product of the massive Black-led working-class movement that destroyed racial segregation. Despite liberal hysteria, that conquest has not been reversed.
The bosses’ parties, the Democrats and Republicans, are determined to maintain their political monopoly and keep working people trapped in a set-up where the only choice is which one of them is the lesser evil. They raise petitioning requirements to try to keep working-class parties like the SWP off the ballot, while their media severely restricts coverage of the SWP.
Over 4 million former felons cannot vote. The fight to restore their right to vote is important for the entire working class.
Workers can never trust parties that defend the bosses’ exploitation of our labor and promote their wars abroad. We need a party of our own, but we don’t have to start from scratch. The SWP exists, forged over decades in the class struggle. Help us to build it!
Biographical Information
Campaign Email
info@votedashonehughey.com
Campaign phone
862-754-5022
Website
https://votedashonehughey.com
What are the most important challenges facing our country, and how do you propose to address them?
America faces four major challenges: the rising cost of living, strategic dependence on foreign energy and technology, the rapid growth of artificial intelligence, and a government that too often moves slower than the people it serves.
We must make America more economically and technologically independent by strengthening domestic energy, manufacturing, infrastructure, and critical technologies. At the same time, we must prepare Americans for the AI economy by expanding access to AI, robotics, advanced manufacturing, and skilled-trade education.
We also need to address affordability by increasing housing supply, supporting small businesses, and reducing unnecessary costs for working families.
Most importantly, government must become more accountable and responsive to the people. We need leaders willing to challenge outdated systems and bring new thinking to Washington.
America has the talent and resources to lead. You can't open new doors with old keys.
What policies would you support to ease the cost of living and strengthen long-term economic stability for families in this district?
Families in this district need relief from the rising costs of housing, utilities, transportation, and everyday necessities. I would support policies that increase housing supply, reduce unnecessary energy costs, strengthen public transportation, and make it easier for small businesses to grow and create good-paying jobs.
Long-term economic stability also requires preparing our workforce for the economy of the future. We should invest in AI, robotics, advanced manufacturing, and skilled trades so residents can access higher-paying careers without having to leave the district.
My goal is simple: lower the cost of living today while building an economy that creates greater opportunity tomorrow. Government should focus on making life more affordable, expanding opportunity, and putting working families first
What changes would you support to make healthcare and mental health services more affordable, accessible, and easier to navigate?
Healthcare should not be so complicated or expensive that families delay getting the care they need. I would support policies that increase competition, improve price transparency, reduce unnecessary costs, and expand access to affordable primary and preventive care.
Mental health services should be treated as an essential part of healthcare. We need greater access to counseling, crisis services, and community-based care, particularly for young people and working families.
We should also make healthcare easier to navigate by simplifying enrollment, expanding digital access, and helping patients understand their options.
Healthcare should work for the patient—not the bureaucracy.
What is your position on immigration reform? What do you think the relationship between federal immigration enforcement and state or local government institutions should be?
I support a secure, orderly, and fair immigration system. We need stronger border security, a faster and more efficient legal immigration process, and a practical path forward for people who have built their lives in America and contribute to our communities.
Federal immigration enforcement should remain primarily a federal responsibility. State and local governments should work with federal authorities on serious public-safety matters, while local institutions should be able to maintain trust with the communities they serve.
We can enforce our immigration laws while treating people with dignity and ensuring that our system is fair, efficient, and consistent.
Secure the border. Fix the system. Uphold the rule of law.
What is your stance on access to abortion and other reproductive healthcare? And what roles should the federal government and the states each play on reproductive healthcare?
I believe reproductive healthcare decisions should remain between a woman and her doctor, without unnecessary government interference. That includes access to abortion and other essential reproductive healthcare.
The federal government should protect basic rights, ensure equal access to healthcare, and prevent unreasonable restrictions that interfere with the doctor-patient relationship. States should have a role in administering healthcare and setting policy within their authority, but that authority should not override fundamental individual rights.
My focus is on protecting access to care while also supporting policies that reduce unintended pregnancies, expand prenatal care, and provide families with greater economic support.
Healthcare decisions should be guided by patients and medical professionals—not politicians.
What actions would you support to strengthen climate resilience and protect infrastructure and neighborhoods from the impact of extreme weather?
We need to prepare our communities for extreme weather rather than simply responding after disasters occur. I would support federal investment in resilient infrastructure, including stronger stormwater systems, upgraded power grids, flood protection, roads, bridges, and public facilities.
We should prioritize vulnerable neighborhoods and use modern technology to identify risks before they become emergencies. Federal resources should also help states and municipalities strengthen building standards, improve emergency preparedness, and protect critical infrastructure.
For New Jersey, protecting coastal and urban communities from flooding and severe storms must be a priority.
Resilience is not just about responding to disasters—it is about building communities that are prepared for them.
What measures do you support to expand voter access and restore trust in our elections?
Free and fair elections are the foundation of government by the people—not the political machine.
As an Independent candidate who takes no PAC, AIPAC, or special-interest money, Da’shone Hughey believes elections must be secure, transparent, and accessible to every eligible voter.
I Will fight for:
Automatic and same-day voter registration
Early voting, no-excuse mail voting, and paid time to vote
Free state-issued IDs so voter ID never becomes a barrier
Paper ballots and independent post-election audits
Secure voting systems, transparent ballot handling, and fair ballot-cure procedures
Independent redistricting to end partisan gerrymandering
Restored voting rights for people who have completed their sentences
An end to PAC and dark-money influence over election administration
People—not the machine—should decide our elections
Biographical Information
What are the most important challenges facing our country, and how do you propose to address them?
Across America, families face rising costs, limited health care access, and attacks on their basic rights. People are working harder but falling behind, while essentials like housing, education, and childcare remain out of reach. At the same time, our democratic values are under attack. I see these challenges every day in our district and take seriously my responsibility to fight for working families.
To move forward, we need a bold, coordinated strategy to lower costs, expand opportunity, and restore economic security. We must also tackle long-term challenges like climate change and responsible AI innovation. But none of this is possible without protecting our democracy - by defending immigrant and voting rights, reducing the influence of money in politics, and ensuring government accountability.
My priority in Congress is building an economy and democracy that work for everyone.
What policies would you support to ease the cost of living and strengthen long-term economic stability for families in this district?
New Jersey’s high cost of living is one of the most urgent challenges facing working families, seniors, and young people trying to build a life in our district.
That’s why I have introduced a series of bills to lower costs and expand opportunity. To force the federal government to center working families in policymaking, I introduced the Working Families Task Force Act. To bring down rising electricity bills for families and hold energy-hungry data centers accountable for driving up costs, I introduced the PRICE (Preventing Rate Inflation in Consumer Energy) Act and the Data Center Transparency Act. To lower the cost of prescription drugs, I co-led the Prescription Drug Transparency and Affordability Act. And to help families afford childcare, I introduced the Parental Workforce Training Act.
Improving the quality of life for families in our district is my biggest priority in Congress. I will continue fighting for policies that make it easier to build a life here in New Jersey.
What changes would you support to make healthcare and mental health services more affordable, accessible, and easier to navigate?
Healthcare is about dignity. That means families should be able to afford care, access services when they need them, and navigate our the system without confusion. As a member of the Committee with jurisdiction over health policy, I am a strong proponent of protecting the ACA, expanding coverage, protecting Medicaid and Medicare. I’ve supported patient-forward policies like the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act and co-led the Prescription Drug Transparency and Affordability Act to lower the cost of prescription drugs. As the Chair of the Dads Caucus Mental Health Working Group, I also know that mental health is as important as physical health. I’ve worked to expand access to mental health services for families, reduce stigmas associated with seeking help - especially for men, and protect our federal mental health programs against Trump’s attacks. Finally, we need a system that’s easier to use. That means clearer pricing, simpler enrollment, and a system that puts patients first.
What is your position on immigration reform? What do you think the relationship between federal immigration enforcement and state or local government institutions should be?
I am proud to represent communities that are sanctuary jurisdictions for immigrants. I have consistently advocated for an immigration system that is orderly and compassionate, one that upholds due process, respects every family’s humanity, and reflects the very best of who we are as a state and as a country. I believe that safeguarding due process and immigrant rights is not optional, it is fundamental. It’s clear that ICE is a rogue agency beyond reform, and I’ve consistently called for it to be abolished to protect our communities from further abuses. I’ve also called for the closure of ICE detention centers in New Jersey since coming to Congress, and I’ve conducted regular oversight visits to Delaney Hall and the Elizabeth Detention Center to assess conditions and provide assistance to detained individuals. In my role as Vice Chair of Policy for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, I have worked hard to ensure the Caucus champions fair and humane immigration policies.
What is your stance on access to abortion and other reproductive healthcare? And what roles should the federal government and the states each play on reproductive healthcare?
I believe reproductive healthcare, including access to abortion, is a fundamental right. I’m proud to be a member of the Pro-Choice Caucus and to have co-sponsored the Women’s Health Protection Act and other bills to restore and codify abortion rights nationwide.
We must ensure access to the full range of care, including medication abortion, and expand its availability, both by mail and by removing unnecessary FDA restrictions. I also support repealing the Hyde Amendment, because where you live or how much you earn should never determine your access to care.
At the end of the day, reproductive rights should not depend on your ZIP code. That’s why I believe Congress must enshrine these protections into federal law, so every American has the same fundamental rights, no matter what state they live in.
What actions would you support to strengthen climate resilience and protect infrastructure and neighborhoods from the impact of extreme weather?
Strengthening climate resilience starts with strong environmental standards and real investments in the communities already feeling the impact of extreme weather. As a Member of Energy and Commerce, which has jurisdiction over environmental policy, I have fought hard against Republican efforts to gut bedrock environmental protections, make it harder to build resilient infrastructure, and undermine clean energy. In our district, I’ve also worked to secure federal funding for green infrastructure projects like Resiliency Park in Hoboken, the 12th Street corridor project in Jersey City, and the installation of pedestrian and bike friendly infrastructure. We need to build smarter, by investing in efficient energy systems, modernizing our water systems, and protecting vulnerable neighborhoods that face the greatest risks.
We must also continue to invest in climate-ready infrastructure and protect strong environmental standards.
What measures do you support to expand voter access and restore trust in our elections?
We need to make it easier to vote, not harder. I am proud to have co-sponsored the Freedom to Vote Act and the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which both expand early voting, protect mail-in voting, and restore safeguards against discrimination. It is so important to fight the onerous and arbitrary restrictions imposed by the Trump Administration. When eligible voters are pushed out of the process, it undermines trust in our elections. Strict voter ID laws, restrictions on early voting and throwing up barriers to voter registration are meant to undermine both participation and trust in our system, especially for marginalized communities. I promise to always fight these attempts to disenfranchise the people of Hudson County and New Jersey. I am also a vocal supporter of national legislation like the For the People Act, which would enact sweeping democracy reforms to make elections more fair and put the power back in the hands of the people.