Peter Jacob, the Democratic nominee for the U.S. House in the 7th Congressional District, was among the first candidates endorsed by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders' new political committee, Our Revolution.
Sanders (I-Vt.) formed the group after losing the Democratic presidential nomination to Hillary Clinton. Jacob is the only New Jersey candidate in the first round of endorsements.
Jacob faces Republican Rep. Leonard Lance in November.
"Our Revolution has begun, a movement of millions of people standing up and saying enough with politics as usual," Jacob said. "We deserve a candidate who will bring the people's voice back to Washington, and we are honored Senator Sanders and Our Revolution believe in us to do exactly that."
While endorsing Clinton for president, Sanders also announced plans to work to elect other progressives to public office. In backing Jacob, his group cited the candidate's opposition to the Iraq War and his work through community organizations to fight child abuse and human trafficking.
"If elected, Peter will continue to serve not just as a politician, but as a true public servant, and will fight to instill progressive values into New Jersey's legislation," the group said.
Jacob immediately began fundraising off the endorsement.
"We cannot thank you enough for all you do, nor can we thank Senator Sanders enough for joining us in our fight," he said in an email solicitation. "We look forward to fighting with you."
Through June 30, Lance had $365,698 in the bank and Jacob had $25,526. The Cook Political Report and the Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report, two Washington-based publications that track congressional races, rate the contest Safe Republican.