Protecting Our Democracy, a New Jersey-based 501(c)(4), is announcing the launch of a robust campaign to defend against attacks on personal freedoms, restore confidence in government and unity in our country, and serve as a bulwark against attempts to undermine the institutions that underpin our democracy at all levels of government.

NJEA is the advocacy group’s founding donor.  NJEA President Sean Spiller spoke of the urgent need to build a movement around protecting democracy, “our democracy has enabled us, borrowing from Dr. King, to bend the moral arc of the universe toward justice.”

The multi-pronged campaign, formulated through six months of research and polling, will include a substantial seven figure omni-channel media buy in New Jersey aimed at centering public focus on the profound threats to our democracy, building support for democratic institutions, pushing back against disinformation and supporting pro-democracy policies and candidates.  Protecting Our Democracy is also building out an advanced data-driven organizing effort.

“Now, we are facing an increasingly virulent effort from a violent extreme minority to strip away fundamental rights and undermine the institutions that protect equal opportunity for all–the courts, the presidency, Congress and our public schools,” Spiller continued.  “We may not agree on everything, but we must unite to stand strong against these attacks on the American promise and our very capacity to work together to tackle our biggest challenges.”

“The need for a movement to protect democracy has never been more urgent,” said BlueWaveNJ President Marcia Marley.  “We can’t assume that our right to vote will remain intact, that we will continue to enjoy free and fair elections where the winner is the individual who received the most votes, or that we will be afforded the right to personal freedoms,” Marley continued. “While New Jersey is fortunate to have a governor and state legislators that have taken steps to expand and protect our freedoms and rights, there is still more that needs to be done at every level of government.  We can’t afford to find out what happens when we allow the seeds of anti-democratic, hate-fueled politics to take hold.”

“We will not despair just because a small minority of extremists seeks to destroy our belief in the strength of our nation, our ability to see the good in political discourse and the exchange of ideas, and our unfettered resolve to safeguard core democratic values,” concluded Spiller.

Here is the lobbying group’s first ad:

(This is a press release from NJEA.)