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| Gusciora still for Gore By Wally Edge [New Jersey] Assemblyman Reed Gusciora still holds out hope that former Vice President Al Gore will emerge as the Democratic candidate for President. The seven-term Assemblyman from Princeton is running for Delegate on an uncommitted slate in Tuesday’s Democratic primary. Gusciora explained his reasons for not picking between Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama in a statement released last night: Traditionally, New Jersey has held its presidential primary in June. Unfortunately the push for earlier and earlier primaries is shortchanging the electorate, preventing them from fully understanding the views and issues each of the candidates represent. This is especially true in the Democratic Primary with the historic and dynamic choice between Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama. In addition, the crippling of candidates, such as Bill Richardson and Joe Biden, with their losses in early primaries, further magnifies the lack of an adequate political dialogue. It is with this in mind that having an Uncommitted Slate on the upcoming primary ballot is important for NJ Democrats. By voting for the Uncommitted Slate, voters would send a group of delegates to the National Convention in August who has pledged to remain uncommitted to any candidate until that point. Though voting for an Uncommitted Slate might be misconstrued as having failed to make an actual choice, it would be far from it. For instance, those Democrats who supported Bill Richardson may not have chosen another candidate to support and want to hear more from the remaining candidates. In this regard, such voters feel the issues at the heart of the election need to be further explored and the candidates’ positions more fully vetted. These voters simply expect more information before making a choice; especially in light of the challenges our country faces in the years ahead. So while some Democrats may hesitate to take part in the February 5th Primary, selecting the Uncommitted Slate is an alternative choice. |