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BY CHRIS DAGGETT
COMMENTARY
Independent voters are the fulcrum by which elections now swing in America, but that has long been true in New Jersey. Here in the Garden State the number of unaffiliated voters total more than 2.4 million, dwarfing the number of registered Democrats (1.8 million) and registered Republicans (1 million).
A recent survey by the Pew Research Center found evidence of the same political transformation taking place across the nation. The number of independent voters has soared to its highest point on record with 39 percent, up from 30 percent since the 2008 election. At the same time, the number of registered voters aligning themselves with the traditional parties has declined dramatically.
Perhaps more significant is the fact that independents are now the youngest voting bloc overall with 44 percent of Americans born after 1977 identifying themselves as independent.
It is a sure sign the age of play-to-the-base politics is over, John Avlon, the author of "Independence Nation: How Centrists Can Change American Politics,'' wrote in a recent op-ed piece for the Wall Street Journal. In my travels on the campaign trail, I have heard voters express the same sentiments. Voters are fed up with the current political system where candidates cater to their bases, while ignoring the concerns and frustrations of the public at large.
Given the results of the recent primary election in New Jersey, even the base is showing signs of discontent. Only 10 percent of registered Democratic voters and 33 percent or registered Republican voters bothered to vote in the primary election, a sign that even the typically most loyal and most involved members of the two major political parties want change.
Why? The answer is clear. Many voters have come to believe that neither party represents their interests in Trenton and that neither party is willing or able to fix the problems that face the state. The two parties got us into this fiscal mess and they will not be honest about what it takes to get us out of it. I will be.
New Jerseyans know it is time for a change. It is recognized not only by independent voters, but also by many of the Republicans and Democrats who after voting along party lines time and again have seen the state's fiscal problems only grow worse in the past 15 years.
Across America, voters have rejected major party candidates and elected independents to lead. In Connecticut, Lowell Weicker was elected governor as an independent. Maine chose independent Angus King to run its state for nearly a decade. Michael Bloomberg has governed so well as an independent in New York City, he is the overwhelmingly favorite to win a third term.
In New Jersey, both political parties have demonstrated repeatedly that they no longer know how to work together to resolve the state's fiscal crisis. It is time to shake up the whole political system in this state. We can no longer afford partisan approaches to non-partisan issues.
New Jersey voters are tired of only having a choice of the lesser of two evils. They are tired of voting against candidates. They are looking for someone to vote for.
Only an independent governor can govern effectively because decisions can be made based on what is best for the public, not what is best for a political party in the next election. Only an independent governor with a proven track record of bringing people together to solve problems can begin to get New Jersey out of its deep financial hole.
I am not going to make promises I cannot keep. It took us years to get into this financial morass. It will take years of shared sacrifice and shared pain to get us out of this hole. But I am the only candidate in this race talking about the real cost drivers that have saddled residents and businesses with some of the highest corporate, income and property taxes in the nation.
Government bodies in New Jersey at all levels---municipal, local school districts, county and state-have been living beyond their means. We simply must get control of the fixed costs that are at the core of overall government spending.
The only way to change state government in New Jersey is to elect an independent. Only an independent has the ability to choose the best and brightest people to work on the many problems facing the state today. Only an independent will take on the special interests that have blocked real change in New Jersey.
Only with an independent in the governor's seat will New Jersey have an opportunity to get its fiscal house in order and revive its stumbling economy.
Chris Daggett is an independent candidate for governor.
