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Tomorrow is election day in New Jersey, and the state’s gubernatorial ticket is one for the history books.

While current governor Chris Christie’s popularity has soared in recent months, thanks in no small part to his leadership in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, he is facing a challenge from the opposing party. His opponents feature not only the state’s first two-woman ticket, but also the first Latina to run for executive office in New Jersey.

Milly Silva is running as lieutenant governor with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Barbara Buono. Silva was raised in New York, and both of her parents moved to the United States from Puerto Rico as young adults.

“I come from a working-class, low-income background,” Silva told NBC Latino. “My mom taught me that it was incredibly important that I use education as a way to provide a better life for myself than she could provide for me.”

Prior to running on the Democratic gubernatorial ticket alongside Buono, Silva worked as the executive vice president of 1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, a union that represents workers in the home care, hospital and nursing home industries, as well as pharmacies and other health care settings.

Though Governor Christie enjoys a comfortable double-point lead in the polls, what’s most surprising is the support he has gathered from Latino voters. Recent polls indicate that the GOP governor has garnered 40 percent of the Latino vote.

Christie has voted against legislation put forth by the DREAM Act in the past, though has recently declared that he supports in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants.

Milly Silva Is First Latina To Run For NJ Governor  was originally published on zonadesabor.com

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