08/18/2025
Pick up the August 15 edition of the Observer to read exclusive stories, local news and events about South Plainfield.
SPHS Alum Kicks Off Congressional Bid
to Fight for Fair Deal for New Jerseyans
By Mary Ann Bourbeau
Anna Lee Williams, a 2016 graduate of South Plainfield High School, has kicked off her 2026 campaign for Congress in New Jersey’s 11th District, the seat currently held by Mikie Sherrill. Williams says she’s in the race regardless of whether Sherrill, whose congressional term ends in 2026, wins the gubernatorial race this November.
“I support her deeply but simultaneously I’m not going to wait 20 years for my turn to run,” said Williams, who currently lives in Morristown. “After the last election I realized a lot of people were going to suffer from the incoming policies.”
Williams, 27, earned top honors at Rutgers University studying political science and anthropology and has since worked in the nonprofit sector. She has volunteered her time as a community organizer with groups such as Make the Road NJ and Vietnamese Boat People. Her Fair Deal platform is geared toward New Jersey voters who are struggling to make ends meet.
“I’m not a politician,” she said. “I’m a normal person who understands what it’s like to worry about rent, about health care, about whether your parents, or even you, can afford to retire. This campaign is about delivering a Fair Deal to the people who keep our communities running but are getting squeezed from every direction. You work hard, show up for your community and your family, but your representatives have let you down. I think we’re at a time where we need more normal people to run. That’s how we’ll get the representation we deserve.”
Williams, a corporate social responsibility and engagement manager for a digital music company, grew up in a Vietnamese-Italian-American home with her mother, who has worked at Rutgers University for more than 25 years; her father, a welder at a chemical factory; and her brother, Matthew, now a student at Rutgers. She said her parents worked hard, paid their taxes, built a good home and never took money from the government. But there was always looming insecurity in case of an unexpected financial hardship such as a job loss; how would they pay the mortgage, afford medical care, feed the kids and be able to retire at a reasonable age?
“When you’ve done everything right, your government should be fighting to make life easier for you, not harder,” she said. “When I think about the Fair Deal, it’s for both Democrats and Republicans. We’re all struggling, and we all want the same thing.”
The Fair Deal platform focuses on:
Housing: Cutting red tape to create more affordable homes in every community;
Free Trade Schools and Community Colleges: Opening career
pathways without crushing student debt;
Expanded Paid Family Leave and Affordable Child Care: Helping parents balance work and home without impossible choices;
Retirement with Real Dignity: Strengthening Social Security so you can retire without worry;
Clean Air, Clean Water and a Sustainable Economy: Investing in green jobs and protecting our shared environment;
An Ethical, Accountable Congress: Banning insider stock trading and refusing corporate PAC money so elected leaders answer to you, not big donors.
“This campaign isn’t about me,” said Williams. “It’s about all of us and the promise that if you keep your side of the bargain, your government should keep theirs. That’s the Fair Deal.”
She hopes to fund her grassroots campaign through small donations from average people and not large checks from
wealthy donors.
“A campaign is so much about how much money you raise,” she said. “It’s unfortunate because that money could be spent actually supporting people.”
To volunteer, donate or learn more about Williams’ vision, visit www.annaleewilliams.com or follow on social media.
