Network of Allies

In politics, money is power.  The NJEA has used its automatic taxpayer funding to far outspend the competition and gain enormous and unmatched influence over New Jersey’s political system.  An important and largely unknown element of the NJEA’s political dominance is its use of an extensive network of allies and affiliates to project its political influence – often without any open indication of the ties between them.  Using its hundreds of millions of tax dollars, the NJEA directly and indirectly funds a vast array of organizations that cover the full spectrum of political and social causes.  These groups provide legal, policy, and community- and social-activist channels to promote the NJEA’s political agenda.  They often form coalitions or act collectively to further the NJEA’s political agenda while giving it the appearance of a broader base of public support.  The use of such proxies helps the NJEA obscure its political dominance and yet maintain that dominance.