Andy Kim’s former State Director Sue Altman runs for N.J.-12 House nomination

Sue Altman, a New Jersey local and alumna of Columbia University, is seeking the Democratic nomination to represent New Jersey’s 12th Congressional district, which includes Princeton and multiple nearby municipalities.

Altman announced her candidacy in a press release on Feb. 3. She sat down for an interview with The Daily Princetonian prior to her meet-and-greet event in Princeton on Wednesday night. Her campaign manager Rob West told the ‘Prince’ that her event had 60 people in attendance, including over a dozen Princeton students.

“What separates me from my colleagues is that I think I have the combination of experience, activism, work in D.C., work in New Jersey, and I’ve been someone who’s pushed the envelope constantly,” Altman said.

Originally a teacher, Altman stated that “I got into politics because, as a teacher, I was confronted with Chris Christie’s cutting of public school budgets. And he was sending his kids to a fancy private school at the same time. So, I went to a town hall, and I asked him about it. He threw a microphone at me, and I caught it, and that was my entry into politics,” she said.

Previously serving as the executive director of the New Jersey Working Families Alliance, Altman made headlines in 2019 when state troopers forcibly removed her from a New Jersey State Senate hearing on corporate tax breaks. While working for the Working Families Alliance, the group initiated the lawsuit that ultimately ended the longstanding county line system, which gave influence to party officials.

Since then, many candidates have entered the race for the Democratic nomination, with 18 currently announced. The seat is considered open because current N.J.-12 Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman announced on Nov. 10 that she would not seek reelection.

“In many ways, this chaotic primary is the result of grassroots organizing,” Altman said. “I just celebrate it as a monument of New Jersey democracy. And yeah, it’s going to be a little chaotic. It’s going to be a little messy at first, but we’ll figure it out.”

In 2024, Altman was the Democratic nominee for the nearby 7th district and lost the election to Republican nominee Thomas Kean Jr., 52 percent to 46 percent.

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“Elon Musk came in and spent a million dollars against me,” Altman said. NJ Spotlight News reported that Musk’s Political Action Committee spent $450,709.44 for Kean and $608,526.15 against Altman, according to records filed with the Federal Election Commission.

“So I’m like, ‘man, powerful people really don’t like me.’ They come for me. So I think my background is one of being a fighter, is speaking truth to power, and is not being afraid,” she said.

Most recently, Altman was the state director for Senator Andy Kim (D-N.J.), which she said prepared her to be in Congress herself.

“The House of Representatives was the place where you’re supposed to absorb the people’s information and then bring it to Washington. When I was State Director for Senator Kim, I did that job,” she said.

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Altman discussed multiple issues that she would focus on if elected, including the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and rethinking the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

“We have to fix [DHS] from the ground up to make it fair and welcoming,” she said.

She also highlighted potential economic changes. “We have to unrig our economy, which means everything from monopolies and reevaluating our antitrust legislation — which is now over 100 years old — to making sure we’re supporting small businesses and entrepreneurs,” Altman said.

Regarding higher education, Altman called free speech “non-negotiable” on university campuses.

“I love a protest. I’ve always been a good old activist,” she said. Altman also described herself as “fiercely defensive of people’s ability and their right to go to class without feeling their own lack of safety.”

If elected, she would represent the University community and nearby areas. “I see Princeton as an important part of the ecosystem. I want to help it stand up to the Trump administration. I want to work with students very closely, and also I want to make sure I’m keeping my attention even on all parts of the district,” Altman said.

Regarding the recent endowment tax increases, Altman noted that she is interested in the topic “from a nonpolitical and not punitive standpoint.”

“I’m not an expert on university finance, but I’m uncomfortable with that sort of ‘town and gown’ dynamic, where a university is exempt from giving back to that community.”

Altman also emphasized the need for increased youth participation in politics. “[Only] 1.5 percent of the potential primary electorate is people ages 18 to 24. If people who were young voted at the rates that their parents and grandparents voted, our entire political system would be different,” she noted. “We obviously are not addressing these issues for people who are young to feel like they have an avenue to participate in our democracy.”

“What politics is is the art of knowing when to fight, which is a lot of the time,” Altman said. “This moment we’re approaching is going to be a rebuild for the country, and that’s going to be a moment where we’re going to have to look for coalitions.”

The primary election will occur on June 2, and the subsequent general election will take place on Nov. 3.

The Daily Princetonian will continue to report on the lead-up to the election.

Emily Murphy is a staff News writer and senior Copy editor for the ‘Prince’ from New York City. She focuses on the N.J.-12 congressional race, and she can be reached at emily.murphy[at]princeton.edu.

Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.