VoteVets, a national organization dedicated to supporting – and, in some cases, making independent expenditures for – military veterans running for Congress as Democrats, has endorsed former Army paratrooper Zach Beecher for New Jersey’s 11th congressional district.
Beecher is one of 12 Democrats running in next month’s special primary to succeed Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill, and one of two military veterans; also in the race is Chatham Borough Councilman Justin Strickland, a former Army captain.
While few voters in New Jersey likely know what VoteVets does, many of them have seen the group’s money at work over the years. In 2024, VoteVets was one of several outside groups that boosted now-Rep. Herb Conaway (D-Delran) in the primary election for the open 3rd district; in 2022, the group spent $2 million in support of Sherrill’s House re-election campaign, though that money was reportedly funneled through VoteVets by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a wealthy Sherrill ally.
Beecher also has the support of another veterans-focused group, With Honor Fund, that has made independent expenditures in the past on behalf of Conaway and Sherrill.
With just 29 days to go until the primary, though, whether or not either group chooses to turn their endorsements into financial support remains to be seen. According to the Federal Election Commission, the only independent expenditures reported thus far have been on behalf of former Rep. Tom Malinowski and Lieutenant Gov. Tahesha Way.
Paul Eaton, a senior advisor at VoteVets, said in a statement that his group made its endorsement because, in the wake of the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Beecher “has the courage to stand up to this administration and the experience to keep us out of another forever war.”
“Zach Beecher knows the true cost of war because he paid his dues on the ground in Mosul,” Eaton said. “We are watching President Trump stumble into a disaster in Venezuela that looks and smells exactly like Iraq 2.0. We need leaders in Congress who have actually worn the uniform and understand that ‘shock and awe’ isn’t a strategy – it’s a prelude to a quagmire.”
VoteVets is also supporting one other New Jersey candidate this cycle: Rebecca Bennett, a former Navy helicopter pilot running to flip the 7th congressional district.
