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Overwhelming response to the upcoming Democratic Meet and Greet event featuring National Committee members Friday in Asbury Park has been moved to the Harold Daley VFW Post 1333 on Lake Avenue, organizers announced Wednesday.

DNC Chairman Chairman Tom Perez, Deputy Chairman Keith Ellison and State Chairman John Currie will join State Senate Candidate Vin Gopal, and 11th District Legislators Eric Houghtaling and Joann Downey at the 2 p.m. event, located at 701 Lake Avenue.

Perez and Ellison are currently in the midst of a tour that began in Michigan and will continue throughout other New Jersey communities before heading on to Texas and Virginia.

Perez is the former Secretary of Labor under the Obama administration, who was elected in February as the Democratic National Committee Chairman. Deputy Chairman Keith Ellison of Minnesota is the first Muslim to serve in Congress.

A part of the local Democratic Organizations ongoing initiative to rally, educate and register voters, the event is held in conjunction with the Monmouth County Democratic Organization.

The Monmouth County Democrats also announced their candidate endorsements for the 2017 Primary Election in June this week.

They include:

Phillip Murphy for Governor, who won 87 percent of the convention vote. Murphy, a Monmouth County resident who served as a United States Ambassador to Germany from 2009 to 2013, is running on a platform to lower property taxes and end the cycle of waste.

Vin Gopal for Senator, who is the former Monmouth County Democratic Organization chair. Gopal, a small business entrepreneur is a lifelong Monmouth County resident who has served on the Monmouth County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Monmouth County, and as a volunteer EMT. The Long Branch resident is running on a platform to fight for taxpayers of the 11th District.

Assembly incumbents Eric Houghtaling and Joann Downey, whose 2015 victory was a surprise upset in the historically Republican area. They were the first Democrats to represent the 11th District since 1991. Houghtaling is a retired electrician from Neptune who served on the governing body there, and Downey is a practicing attorney with Dimian and Masterpalo of  Ocean Township.

Lake Como Mayor Brian Wilton and Dr. Margie Donlon for County Freeholder. Wilton is a municipal prosecutor in Red Bank and Freehold, and served on the Lake Como Borough Council before being elected as Mayor in 2014. Donlon is a physician from Ocean Township.

Other endorsements include: David Lande for Senator in the 12th District, Sean Byrnes for Senator in the 13th District, Amy Sara Cores for Senator 30th District, Dr. Nirav Patel and Gene Davis for Assembly in the 12th District, Thomas Giaimo and Mariel Didato for Assembly in the 13th District, and Eliot Colon and Kevin Scott for Assembly in the 30th District.

“We are excited for this November’s election, this slate of candidates is the best I have seen in my years with the Monmouth County Democrats,” County Chairman David G. Brown II said in a written statement. “Two of our candidates are doctors, five are practicing attorneys, and two are very successful small business owners.”

The Primary Election will be held on June 6th, 2017. The endorsed candidates will be under the line “Monmouth County Democrats” on the ballot.

Those interested in attending the 2 p.m. Friday event can RSVP via email at info@monmouthdems.org.

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