Buono announces run for governor in 2013

About 700 people filled the New Brunswick High School gymnasium Saturday to hear state Sen. Barbara Buono, D-18, announce her plan to challenge Gov. Chris Christie in November’s gubernatorial election.

“I am here today to usher in a new era of truth for [New Jersey], to announce that we don’t have to replay the last three years of failed fiscal policies and unwillingness to listen to the will of the people for another four years,” Buono said.

Buono said her campaign would reprioritize the middle class and focus on job creation.

“Today we bring our time together to put everyday New Jersey families back in charge of this state we all love,” she said.

She said her campaign centers on disproving the ideology that the upper class can increase its wealth by taxing the middle and lower classes and still expect economic growth.

“We are here today to put an end to the philosophy, as tired as it is disproven,” she said. “After more than three years of this governor’s failed economic policy, millions of New Jersey families are suffering, struggling.”

She said nearly 10 percent of New Jerseyans are unemployed. The unemployment rate has increased since last year and is two percent higher than the national rate.

“That’s why I am here announcing my candidacy for governor of the state of New Jersey. The only way to bring new values to Trenton is to build a grass roots organization,” she said. “County by county, town by town … we will take back our state in November.”

Buono said New Jersey cannot afford to progress under Christie, who is in pursuit of his own goals rather than those of the people of New Jersey.

“Every day, New Jerseyans are wondering the same thing: For all this governor’s YouTube moments and choreographed town halls, for all the national press appearances and magazine covers, what has he actually done to help my family lift itself up from the economic [distress]?” she said.

Buono said Christie prioritized Hurricane Sandy issues while letting the problems of the state prior to the storm take a backseat. Despite the need for bi-partisan leadership, she said this conditional governance does not suffice when dealing with the state’s long-term problems.

“A governor in this state, not only has the responsibility to help families and businesses whose lives were turned upside down by the storm, but also those whose lives were in turmoil before the winds ever [arrived],” she said.

Buono said Christie continually gives the people of New Jersey words instead of actions, which is ineffective in solving the state’s problems.

“Real leadership means hearing the voices of [others]. … You’ve got nothing — nothing — but sound bites and empty promises from a governor who seems more intent on courting his right wing base than tending to the needs of the middle class and the working poor,” she said.

Rep. Frank Pallone, D-6, also addressed the crowd and said Buono’s campaign represents change because she will respond to the people and grassroots efforts.

“She’s a person that cares about the middle class, she comes from a working background, she worked herself through college and through law school,” he said. ”It’s the people of the state of New Jersey who are going to make sure she is elected as our governor this November.”

Margarite Anders, a New Brunswick resident who attended the rally, said she is looking forward to Buono’s campaign because it will bring hope and change to both the state and her town.

“I know Buono will serve the people of this state and put them over the politics we are used to seeing,” Anders said. “Her background sets her aside from some of these politicians in a way that allows her to understand the middle class, the regular people.”