Longtime NJ activist Lawrence “Larry” Hamm, founder and chairman of People’s Organization for Progress since the 1980s running for the US Senate seat for NJ currently held by embattled US Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ). The social justice advocate, who chairs the Newark-based People’s Organization for Progress in mid-October marched 67-miles from Montclair to Trenton to call on lawmakers to pass a police reform bill that has languished in the NJ Legislature for a year. Protesting is nothing new for Mr. Hamm and the People’s Organization for Progress which has rallied in Newark every Monday for years in support of different social issues.

Larry Hamm is no stranger to the campaign trail. He challenged US Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) in the 2020 Democratic primary. This time around, Hamm believes voters have more of an appetite for change.

“I’m willing to propose the big changes that need to be made to make life better. For instance, we must change health care in the United States. …We’re the only rich country that does not have universal health care or a system of national health care,” stated Larry Hamm. “Somebody has to be in this race that’s going to speak for regular folk, that’s going to speak for working people, that’s going to speak for poor people, that’s going to give voice to the voiceless,” he said. “Yes, I’m running against candidates who have a lot of money. But what they don’t have that I have is a very close connection to regular people. … So we need people in Congress, in the House and the Senate, for which I’m running, who are not going to be afraid to stand up to fight those moneyed interests.”

US Senator Menendez recently was indicted by federal prosecutors for bribery, conspiracy and being an unregistered agent of a foreign government. US Senator Menendez under the law is presumed innocent until proven in a court otherwise. US Senator Menendez has not indicated if he will seek re-election which would take place next.

In March of this year Larry Hamm appeared on the “On The Case With Kamau Kujichagulia” podcast. To learn more about Larry Hamm “The People’s Candidate” we encourage viewers to go to The Nubian News website at www. thenubiannews.com and click on the tab for podcast at the top of page and then scroll down to March 9, 2023.

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