NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ—NBToday sat down with State Senator Barbara Buono, a candidate for Governor in the November 5 election, to discuss her views on important local, county, and state issues.

In the August 2 interview, Buono said she would be an ally for the middle-class and working poor of New Jersey, as well as students and the unemployed, if elected Governor.

“Where do I begin?” Senator Buono said when asked what makes her different than incumbent Chris Christie, who is running for a second term.

Buono said that, in his first term, Christie “turned his back on the 99% of New Jerseyans and favored the very wealthy at the expense of everyone else.

“One of the first things I would do is assign a minimum wage increase and tie it to a cost of living,” she said.

Buono is supporting a ballot question that would raise the state’s minimum wage to $8.25.  Christie opposed the measure, which will be left to the voters to decide on the same day as the Governor election.

The longtime State Senator said New Jersey currently has the highest unemployment rate in the region and that prospective college students are facing increasing tuition and taking on more debt.

Buono told NBToday she would have “a real economic plan that focused on investing in our workers of today by re-training them for jobs that are in demand… and the workers of tomorrow: our students.”

New Brunswick Today invited both of the major-party candidates to a video interview at a location of their choosing. Governor Christie declined the invitation, but Senator Buono accepted.

Editor at New Brunswick Today | 732-993-9697 | editor@newbrunswicktoday.com | Website

Charlie is the founder and editor of New Brunswick Today, and the winner of the Awbrey Award for Community-Oriented Local Journalism. He is a proud Rutgers University journalism graduate, a community organizer, and a former independent candidate for mayor of New Brunswick.

Charlie is the founder and editor of New Brunswick Today, and the winner of the Awbrey Award for Community-Oriented Local Journalism. He is a proud Rutgers University journalism graduate, a community organizer, and a former independent candidate for mayor of New Brunswick.