Festive yet focused event proves grassroots advocacy is reshaping New Jersey politics
By Matt Connolly
As New Jersey barrels into the homestretch of a pivotal election season, one issue is impossible to ignore: medical freedom. On September 25th, the New Jersey Public Health Innovation PAC (NJPHIPAC) hosted its 2025 Health Freedom Gala at the Gramercy at Lakeside Manor in Hazlet. The sold-out crowd of over 300 sent a clear message: what the establishment once dismissed as “fringe” is now front and center, a litmus test for candidates who want to win in the Garden State.
The parent-led, independent PAC brought together endorsed candidates, rising challengers, and seasoned incumbents to mix and mingle with some of the most influential figures in New Jersey’s health freedom movement. The result was a ballroom that felt less like a dinner party and more like the launchpad of a political shift.
What struck many observers most was how rapidly the conversation has changed. Medical freedom, parental rights, and informed consent are no longer niche topics; they are political touchstones. And while NJPHIPAC has extended its hand to all sides, one party has repeatedly refused to grasp it. With few exceptions, Democrats have shown neither the courage nor the independence to challenge their leadership’s push for more state power at the expense of family choice.
Nowhere is that clearer than in this year’s gubernatorial race.
Democrat nominee Mikie Sherrill has staked out an unabashedly authoritarian stance: parents, in her view, cannot be trusted to safeguard their children’s health. She champions a one-size-fits-all model dictated by Trenton and reinforced by corporate lobbyists, portraying government as the sole arbiter of medical decisions. The arrogance in this approach is as stunning as it is dangerous.
Republican nominee Jack Ciattarelli could not be more different. While he supports vaccination as an important tool, he insists it must stand on its own merits, not on the back of force, coercion, or mandates. That willingness to draw a line on government overreach has earned him relentless attacks from Sherrill’s media allies, who rushed out hit pieces when word spread of his planned appearance at the NJPHIPAC gala.
Ciattarelli didn’t flinch. He showed up. He shook hands. He delivered.
The audience of mothers, fathers, physicians, attorneys, and activists watched closely as Ciattarelli not only stood firm but unveiled his Letter to Parents & Families, pledging unprecedented support for medical freedom in New Jersey. It wasn’t just another speech; it was a turning point. For the first time, a major party gubernatorial contender publicly aligned himself with a movement that has spent years fighting uphill battles against censorship, mandates, and government overreach.
It’s called practicing medicine for a reason. Science is ever evolving and must be approached with an open mind. That sentiment echoed through the evening, underscoring why so many are drawn to a candidate willing to trust families over bureaucracy.
Felicia Milelli, Board Chair of NJPHIPAC, summed it up powerfully: “September 25th was proof: our movement is here to stay and stronger than ever. Now, it’s our duty to prove it again at the ballot box.”
The contrast could not have been clearer: Sherrill firing potshots from a distance, Ciattarelli standing in the room, shoulder to shoulder with families.
For those who believe freedom itself was trampled during the COVID era of lockdowns and mandates, the gala represented more than a fundraiser. It was proof that health freedom advocates are no longer shouting from the sidelines; they are stepping directly onto the field of political power.
And as Election Day approaches, the momentum is unmistakable. NJPHIPAC has once again proven that showing up matters and that when parents, professionals, and patriots unite, they cannot be ignored.
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Matt Connolly serves on the Board of Directors for NJPHIPAC, an independent, non-profit, non-partisan, grassroots Political Action Committee dedicated to expanding health freedom.
