Ruth Dugan
Ruth Dugan is running for election to the New Jersey Senate in the 39th District, which includes portions of Bergen County and Passaic County.
Ruth Dugan is a non-profit executive and lifelong problem solver who resides in Saddle River with her family. Arriving in this country as a child, one of her proudest moments was becoming a citizen at the age of 18.
Throughout her career, Ruth’s advocacy-driven work has led her to serve in leadership roles in a number of different sectors, including healthcare, cancer support, and education. From serving as the President of the Saddle River Board of Education to leading the Gilda’s Club of Northern New Jersey, Ruth’s objective has always been the same: get involved and make a difference. When Bayonne’s only Hospital faced financial ruin, Ruth was recruited to save it. As Chair of the Bayonne Medical Center, Ruth brought people together from across the political spectrum, working with business leaders, community members, and healthcare experts and saved the hospital by successfully making the case that a city cannot be without access to healthcare.
Ruth Dugan is running against an incumbent Senator in the legislature that earned only a 57% lifetime score on our 2019 Legislative Environmental Scorecard. The Senator has also opposed crucial environmental legislation such as the Plastic Pollution Reduction Act — the nation’s strongest single- use plastics bill that will cut down on the pollution that plagues our natural spaces, smothers our waterways, and impacts the health of our residents. She also voted against the first-in-the-nation comprehensive environmental justice legislation known as the Cumulative Impacts Bill, which was hailed as a turning point in helping mitigate the disproportionate effects of pollution in low-income, predominantly Black and Brown communities. In addition to voting NO on these two bills, this Senator has a history of opposing many other environmental priority bills such as The Clean Energy Act and legislation that would uphold the International Paris Agreement on Climate Change. This is why we urge you to vote for Ruth Dugan, who is ready to pave a better future for her children, grandchildren, and the hardworking residents of District 39.