College Republicans: Glading supports family values and fiscal responsibility (NJ-1)

The Gleaner (Rutgers-Camden) ^ | OCTOBER 18, 2010 11:17 AM | Commentary

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In such a frantic election year such as this one, it is easy for the media to overlook even some of the most interesting political races. The First Congressional District, which encompasses Camden City, as well as most of Camden County, Gloucester County, and part of Burlington County, has had its share of the election cycle attention siphoned away by a hotly contested race in the neighboring Third District, where former Philadelphia Eagle Jon Runyan is running neck and neck with incumbent John Adler. The First District race, although not deemed competitive by political analysts, may set the stage for an increased Republican presence here in future elections. GOP challenger Dale Glading is running against incumbent Rob Andrews for the second time in as many years; in 2008, Glading was defeated by nearly fifty points in the Democratic wave that swept President Obama into office.

The latest credible polls show Andrews slipping on those 2008 results by at least fifteen percentage points. The margin is still wide, but the more interesting statistic is found when voters are asked whether they have a favorable opinion of either candidate. 67% of First District voters were not familiar enough with Glading to make a judgment, meaning that there is still lots of room for improvement in his election numbers before November – his message is resonating, but one man with no national or state funding can only communicate with so many people in so little time.

Glading is currently, at worst, maintaining the quarter of district voters that cast their ballots for him in ’08, and there are still enough undecided voters to at the put Glading on the media’s political map. If he were to pull in over 40% on November 2, Glading would cause the GOP, which has refused to provide any funding or campaign help, to take this race, and perhaps a potential future Glading candidacy, much more seriously.

Andrews, who has held the seat since 1990, has managed to maintain a favorable reputation with district residents via silence. He voted for the bank bailout, stimulus, and the Healthcare Bill. Even though national and local polls have shown that voters are overwhelmingly opposed to President Obama’s trademark health law, and that they are increasingly skeptical of the President’s massive yet fruitless “stimulus” bill, First District voters still have a favorable view of Andrews. Why? The most logical explanation is that voters simply haven’t heard from Andrews in so long that they assume he is still the center-left politician they first elected twenty years ago – they couldn’t be more wrong.

After his failed Senate bid in 2008, when he challenged 84-year-old Frank Lautenberg to seven debates, and subsequently ridiculed him for refusing (Andrews now refuses to debate Glading), Andrews was able to conveniently slip back into his Congressional seat, conveniently held by his wife Camille. Andrews proceeded to ride Obama’s platform to his ninth victory, and moved even further to the left than his constituents ever believed he could go.

During his tenure, Andrews has supported federal funding of abortions, massive pork barrel spending (locally he fought for a $5.8 million bicycle path in Camden), federal funding for sanctuary cities that refuse to deport illegal immigrants, and, of course, his latest move to the left came with his support of the government healthcare takeover.

Glading, meanwhile, has been operating on nearly empty coffers, going door-to-door to spread his message of lower taxes, less government, and family values. Internal Glading polls conducted during the summer showed the race much closer than anticipated, with a large portion of undecided voters debating whether to stick with someone who they once liked but can no longer support, or casting their vote for a fresh face whom they don’t know much about. Unfortunately, the local and state media has done virtually nothing to publicize the race and inform voters, so constituents are left in the dark.

Dale Glading is man of principle, not just because he founded the largest athletic prison ministry in America, but also because he hasn’t been corrupted by spending twenty years with radical politicians like Nancy Pelosi in Washington, D.C. At his campaign website, http://www.glading2010.com, you can read about his stances on key issues, read about his background, and find his latest press releases. Our organization motto this year has been, “Who Shares Your Values? You Decide,” and I would urge readers, regardless of political affiliation, to take a look at both the candidates in this race, and make a decision that honestly reflects their respective values.

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Glading, has been operating on nearly empty coffers, going door-to-door to spread his message of lower taxes, less government, and family values. Internal Glading polls conducted during the summer showed the race much closer than anticipated, with a large portion of undecided voters debating whether to stick with someone who they once liked but can no longer support, or casting their vote for a fresh face whom they don’t know much about. Unfortunately, the local and state media has done virtually nothing to publicize the race and inform voters, so constituents are left in the dark.

Help Glading remove the Andrews stench from NJ.

http://glading2010.com/

Any sized donation will help!

http://glading2010.com/contribute.html