NONE OF THE ABOVE
Editorial: When neither choice is good enough, we just can’t endorse
Neither base is really fired up to support their candidate. That’s why The Trentonian cannot endorse either candidate for governor.
There are a lot of problems to fix in the state, many of them will get patched up under Guadagno, different problems will get patched up under Murphy.
Neither candidate is looking like they have what it takes to get permanent solutions and neither is poised to address all of the issues that our state has.
Maybe this is just because the campaigning is mostly bitching about negative aspects of the opponent, but maybe it is just that we have two mediocre candidates in a time when we need someone exceptional.
We hope that whoever gets elected proves us wrong. Kim or Phil, it would be great to see a leader in this state who cares more about the citizens of New Jersey than campaigning for the next big gig and raising their national profile.
We would love to see bold solutions that have lasting impact on the state and make New Jersey stronger economically and socially.
Nothing in the campaign materials, ads, interviews, or debates has shown promise of that from Murphy or Guadagno.
Sure, Murphy has been painted as a big tax and spend liberal who is soft on crime, but even those accusations are tired and trite because they are the same lines thrown at almost every Democratic candidate for any office in recent memory.
Conversely, we’re seeing the same tired accusations directed at Guadagno that Democrats have been trying to make stick to her predecessor and boss, Chris Christie, and even his ties to Trump, through the transitive properties of political connections, become her ties to Trump.
There needs to be more to the race for governor than just the two major parties jabbing each other with those old, dull swords.
It is time to reject the two-party politics and let some of the independent voices at least enter the conversation.
New Jersey missed a huge opportunity this year when third-party candidates were given almost no voice in the process. Even if there is little shot for one of them to win on Tuesday, getting more than just the two voices in this race may have brought some more creative solutions to the discussions.
The saddest part of all this is that we all need to go out and make our voices heard for the local elections, but a boring title card means less voters motivated to get out to the polls.
So even if you can’t hold your nose and pick one of these two luke-warm options to sit in the governor’s chair, please go out and vote for the races that actually have more bearing on your day-today life in the local and county contests.
Leave the top spot empty if you want, or send a message to the twoparty system and vote for a third-party candidate.