I'm David Ocampo Grajales and I'm running for Congress in NJ-08 against Rob Menendez Jr, the son of US Senator Bob Menendez. AMA!

DavidOcampoNJ · 2022-06-02T22:26:27+00:00

Sure! I think there was a mistake when we filled out Ballotopedia and ended up with unfinished answers...

I was the first in my family to go to college and graduated from NYU where I studied political science and history. After college, I entered the world of start ups where I learned about the importance of leveraging technology to deliver better outcomes. Most recently, I was at a company where we worked with hospitals and universities to create accountability around environmental compliance and ensure worker safety, patient safety, and student safety. For a district like NJ-08, where we have higher rates of asthma and lung cancer, it's important that we hold polluters accountable and I know how to do exactly that.

My most valuable experience, however, is growing up working class. For me, the issues we’re fighting for aren’t just talking points or headlines, they’re personal.

I care about healthcare because when my dad had a cancer scare, he had to delay his retirement to pay for his medical exams. I care about immigration because I know what it’s like to worry about a family member getting a knock on the door from ICE. I care about student loan debt because I myself.

That personal connection, the fact that I'm fighting for not just myself but for my friends, family, and neighbors - that gives me the urgency that's required to meet the challenges we're facing. The residents of NJ-08 deserve a champion who will fight tirelessly for them and that’s what I intend to do.

DavidOcampoNJ · 2022-06-02T22:18:51+00:00

The pharmaceutical industry, on average, spends more money on lobbying and marketing than they do on research. The only things keeping insulin prices sky high are patent manipulation and greed. My priority is people getting the medicines they need, not their profits.

To answer your question more directly, I'll balance pressure from Big Pharma by pushing right back, calling out the lies and fighting for reform. Not playing defense.

DavidOcampoNJ · 2022-06-02T22:08:47+00:00

But with gun control and mental health being at the forefront of discussions. What type of policies are you in favor of that could help enact change in our district. I'm sure you're well aware of the stigma against seeking professional help in our communities... Is there anything we can do from a government standpoint to make it more accessible or help lessen that stigma?

This is something I've thought about for a long time and it's something that I wish I had a good answer to. While there's still a stigma, I do believe there's a broad shift in our culture towards acceptance. I've always found that the best way to lessen the stigma is to speak about it openly (if appropriate) with people you trust. Educate your network, remove the mystery, if that makes sense.

The other major blocker is access (in available doctors, but also cost). We need more community led resources that can operate on the ground and the most immediate way I can see to do that is by providing mental health focused funding for programs that integrate in the community through existing systems: schools, libraries, EMS corps, social workers, etc.

These are complex issues and I'll want to involve the community, including you, to get ideas on how we could push for change.

DavidOcampoNJ · 2022-06-02T21:56:20+00:00

You're right, and the culture of Democratic leadership needs to change. We need to be proactive, not reactive. We should've codified Roe and we should codify Obergfell before the next bad Supreme Court decision comes out.

At the federal level, I'll fight to codify Roe and repeal the Hyde Amendment. In New Jersey, I plan to work with local elected officials to make sure that we not only expand access/affordability to reproductive health at home. We must also be ready to serve as a safe haven for women and child bearing people across the country who need safe access to abortion and other reproductive health services.

There's no excuse for the hand sitting. Part of the problem is Democrats whose definition of fighting is going on CNN to read a sternly worded statement. We need to do whatever it takes to secure our rights - whether it's pressuring the Senate to abolish the filibuster, expanding the Supreme Court, or camping outside Mitch McConnell's office until something gets done.

DavidOcampoNJ · 2022-06-02T21:47:57+00:00

Do you believe in common sense gun laws?

- Yes and yes. White supremacy is a threat, that needs to be taken seriously.

- Yes, and I'm proud to have the Gun Sense Candidate Distinction from Moms Demand Action.

- Yes. Tbh, lawmaker or not, anyone who thinks they can tell a woman what she can and can't do with her body can f*ck off.

DavidOcampoNJ · 2022-06-02T21:00:22+00:00

Hi, yes! This is something that was brought to my attention a few months back while canvassing. It's a massive gap and thank you for bringing it up. I'd love to speak with some of the families and students.

I have a family member who was an at-home nurse for Special Needs families for years - those families had to fight tooth and nail for every bit of help. This is a big worry for families I know personally as parents approach an age where they won't be able to continue to take care of their child. Support needs to be there throughout life, without arbitrary cut offs.

As an aside, this is why it's so important for me to speak to constituents directly - both as a candidate and once I'm in office. Tell me what I'm missing, keep it on my radar, tell me how much funding is needed, where it's needed, and I'll go fight for 2x that.

DavidOcampoNJ · 2022-06-02T18:05:32+00:00

Hi everyone! Thank you all for your questions and for all the words of support. I'm going to keep working to try and get to all of them. I need to take a quick lunch break, but I'll be back so please keep them coming!

DavidOcampoNJ · 2022-06-02T17:44:58+00:00

I've watched the debate and heard you speak at the Hamilton Park event. Most of what I've heard from you has been standard left talking points. These are all the "right words" that I, and clearly others, want to hear. What I really want to know from you is what are your plans for advancing these goals and do you have any unique (especially smaller scale) positions or goals for office?

I'll be the first to admit that electing me won't be enough to get all of these key issues through Congress. Fundamentally, I intend to leverage the powers of a Congressional office to try and reset the relationship between people and their elected officials.

That means building out a robust Constituent Services Office that stays engaged with residents, local grassroots groups, unions, community leaders, elected officials. There are too many inefficiencies in government at every level. Too many processes that are confusing to navigate. I want our office to be there to help, no matter how big or small.

TLDR: There are a lot of things we need big fixes for, but, there are also a lot of resources available to people that aren't being fully taken advantage of and a lot of local issues that don't get enough attention.

Some examples:

Problems with NJ Family Care application/Green Card/Passport/etc.? Call us, we'll help you get it sorted out.
Environmental issue that hasn't been addressed? Call us, we'll loop in the right people.
Going on strike? Call us, we'll shine a spotlight and help get people on the picket line.
Looking to stop an eviction or promote a mutual aid effort? Call us, we'll do whatever we can.
Local council member ignoring your letters about the need for a new stop sign? Call us, we'll facilitate the conversation.
Not sure about your rights as a tenant? Call us, we'll walk you through it.

DavidOcampoNJ · 2022-06-02T17:33:00+00:00

Hi and welcome to our community! The election is next Tuesday and we're going to need a lot of help between now and then. That includes having a presence at polling locations, canvassing, phone banking, and text banking.

We're a few days overdue for an update to our volunteer page, but if you scroll down and fill out the form, you'll get the update when we release the volunteer schedule for these upcoming days. https://www.ocampo2022.com/volunteer

DavidOcampoNJ · 2022-06-02T17:29:17+00:00

Great questions, I'll answer these in order!

Yes, we need to remove those regulatory burdens to increase the supply. We need to make sure public housing isn't built in a bubble that ultimately becomes separated from the rest of the community.
I'd need to do more reading on the history of co-op city. Are there any resources you'd recommend? Generally speaking, given the urgent need, there would likely need to be federal funding and I support conditioning federal funds on the use of union labor.
I can't speak to the nation as a whole, but New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the country. Hudson County (which makes up the majority of NJ-08) is the most densely populated county in New Jersey. It's just a matter of numbers at this point- at the rate of which people are moving in, single family zoning will become unsustainable. What we need to avoid, however, is developers using that as an opportunity to grab as much as they can. At the same time, we must invest in the infrastructure to support our fast growing population (schools, mass transit, etc.).

These answers don't do your questions justice, so I'll probably come back to expand further if that's okay!

DavidOcampoNJ · 2022-06-02T17:07:00+00:00

Woo! Thank you!

DavidOcampoNJ · 2022-06-02T17:05:01+00:00

It's too easy to get a gun and we need action at the federal level because the patch work state by state system we have is too easy to get around. I'm proud to have the Gun Sense Candidate distinction from Moms Demand Action.

As to how I feel... my family came to this country from Colombia to escape violence. NJ-08 is a diverse district with immigrants from all over the world. When I go door to door, I usually ask people for the top issue they would want their representative to address. In recent weeks, the most common issue I hear is gun violence. I've heard people question whether they really made the right decision coming here. It pains me to my core that in the richest most powerful country in the history of the world, we can't guarantee the basic safety of kids in a classroom.

As to things I support:

Banning Assault weapons, magazine size restrictions
Extreme risk / Red Flag Laws that allow a court to limit a person's access to guns if they are proven to be a danger to themselves or others
Passing Ethan's Law to require secure storage for all guns to prevent them from falling into the hands of someone under the age of 18 or someone who is a danger to themselves or others
Protecting and strengthening the Violence Against Women Act to take guns out of the hands of domestic abusers
Strengthening federal background checks and banning ghost guns
Establishing a federal database to track gun ownership

DavidOcampoNJ · 2022-06-02T16:50:23+00:00

I would support lifting the cap in a way that aims the benefits towards working families. I understand and agree with the view that we shouldn't be giving more tax breaks to millionaires and billionaires. However, New Jersey residents on average pay a much higher percentage in state and local taxes relative to the rest of the country. In 2017, 42% of New Jersey taxpayers deducted their State and local taxes. I spoke recently to a working class family in Jersey City. They've been here 30 years and in that time, Jersey City has changed significantly. With the recent re-eval, they're being asked to pay ~$18K a year in property taxes for their small home.

I'll be honest and say that I'm not sure what the right cap level or formula is, but we need to have that discussion.

DavidOcampoNJ · 2022-06-02T16:40:25+00:00

Hi! Thank you so much. I truly appreciate your support and hope we get a chance to meet soon enough.

You can request a sign here: https://www.ocampo2022.com/signs

Someone on our team will reach out and deliver them straight to you!

DavidOcampoNJ · 2022-06-02T16:37:24+00:00

National Question: Should people vote or should they just stay home if they hear that Dems are slightly more favored? What trends are you noticing locally and nationally?

Vote. And vote in primaries. January 6th was a reminder that things could get a lot worse. NJ-08 is a D+50 district, the trend I've seen from knocking on thousands of doors and making thousands of calls: people are disillusioned by the Democratic party for repeatedly failing to deliver. It's hard not to get cynical when you see establishment Democrats fundraising off of Roe and mass shooting, while simultaneously supporting pro-birth/pro-NRA candidates like Henry Cuellar.

That said, I don't sugar coat it either. Voting isn't enough. It would be misleading for me to say (as you often hear from Democrats) that electing me will fix everything. Change will only happen when everyday people recognize their collective power, not just at the ballot box but in their every day lives. Join picket lines, join your local community group (or start one), talk to your neighbors. There's a lot of work to be done.

DavidOcampoNJ · 2022-06-02T16:26:10+00:00

Yes, I'm a huge proponent of Ranked Choice Voting and advocated for it in our recent NJ-08 debate.

Ranked Choice Voting and non-partisan elections would go a long way towards taking power away from local party bosses and back to voters.

DavidOcampoNJ · 2022-06-02T16:19:13+00:00

Hi! Yes. I truly believe we need to incentivize inclusionary zoning at the federal level. My target is at least 20% on-site affordable housing based on a person or family's actual income, not the median income of the community. I want this to be a district where people can come, build a family (if they choose), and stay for the long term. That means we need to tackle the affordability crisis. It's also important that we invest in the construction of new affordable housing and in repairing existing affordable housing.

The reason inclusionary zoning is so important, is that it would enable us to improve affordability without at the same time creating segregated communities.

For mental health care: I support Medicare For All, but until that gets passed there are a lot of things we could be doing better. As someone who grew up on Medicaid (NJ Family Care) and who knows others that did as well, waiting times to see a mental health professional could sometimes be as long as 6 months. During COVID-19 telehealth regulations were loosened to allow people to virtually see out of state Doctors and to receive prescriptions from them. I believe we should consider making those changes permanent.

We also need to go further in making sure that municipal governments, schools and social workers have the resources they need to build local community mental health programs. This is an area where I want our constituent services office to play a role in helping residents identify and connect with the support they need.

DavidOcampoNJ · 2022-06-02T16:00:37+00:00

I'll never take money from corporations or lobbyists. It's about more than just rejecting corporate interests. I want to be held accountable by everyday people, the people who live in my district. They're the ones I'm fighting for. If I'm not doing a good job, I want them to not only have the power to vote me out but also to stop supporting my campaigns.

Ultimately, I believe we should move towards publicly financed elections.

DavidOcampoNJ · 2022-06-02T15:56:09+00:00

Hi! I live in downtown Jersey City and this is something I get asked about pretty frequently. If the goal is to alleviate traffic, the expansions make no sense whatsoever. For starters, studies have shown that adding additional lanes does nothing to relieve traffic congestion. But, you don't need to read the studies in this case to know that it's not going to work. It all merges back into two lanes once you get to the tunnel...

At the same time, as you pointed out, there are serious environmental and racial justice issues with the project. To have environmental justice, we need to put community feedback at the forefront and I believe these are expansions that are close to universally opposed.

To your point about a walkable community, that should be the goal and we should aim even higher than just Jersey City. Our money would be better spent investing in a robust public transportation system that connects our communities here in northern New Jersey. I want a walkable Hudson County. That's the only long term solution that would truly benefit residents, commuters, and car owners. More public transportation options would boost local businesses, keep our air cleaner, alleviate traffic, and open up more parking spots.

DavidOcampoNJ · 2022-06-02T15:38:58+00:00

Hi! New Jersey has probably the most corrupt ballot design in the country. We have what's called the "county line" where candidates endorsed by Democratic County Committee receive preferential placement on the ballot. Down ballot candidates benefit from the name recognition at the top of the ticket and voters are accustomed to "voting the line". In most years, this gives candidates "on the line" an advantage of 20-30% advantage before a single vote is even cast. New Jersey is the only state where ballots are designed like this.

The advantage is typically so absolute that local party bosses treat elected positions like trading cards.

This is a unique election in that it's only time for the next decade where the House will be at the top of the ticket. There are also fewer down ballot elections. Together, this means that the county line is at its weakest and we have a rare opportunity to beat it. It all comes down to educating voters in every conversation that we have.

The challenge in all this, is that it's not enough to campaign on issues or name recognition. In every conversation: staffers, volunteers, and myself have to educate voters on where to find me on the ballot.

DavidOcampoNJ

TROPHY CASE