Barbara Buono
Barbara Buono (b. July 28, 1953, in Newark, New Jersey) is a former Democratic member of the New Jersey Senate, representing District 18 from 2002 to 2014. She previously served as Majority Leader and Majority Caucus Leader. Bills that have been sponsored by Senator Buono include Senate Bill 6 and Senate Bill 15.[1]
Buono ran for election to the position of Governor of New Jersey in 2013.[2] She won the Democratic Party nomination in the primary election on June 4, 2013. Buono announced her choice of union leader Milly Silva as her lieutenant gubernatorial running mate on July 29, 2013.[3] The two-woman ticket lost to the Republican incumbents, Governor Chris Christie and Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno. They also faced a number of minor-party opponents in the general election contest which took place on November 5, 2013.[4][5]
Buono's State Senate was filled by Democrat Peter Barnes III.
Biography
Buono earned her B.A. in political science from Montclair State College and her J.D from Rutgers School of Law. His professional experience includes working as the police commissioner of Metuchen, New Jersey, and as a criminal trial attorney for the Department of the Public Advocate for the State of New Jersey. Prior to her election to the state Senate, Buono was also a member of the Metuchen City Council from 1993 to 1994.[6]
Noteworthy events
Chris Christie's weight
On September 3, 2013, Christie accused Buono of taking a jab at his weight in one of her speeches at a campaign event. Buono had been addressing the issue of tourism and mentioned TV commercials featured the Christie family on the beach. It was reported that $2 million in federal Hurricane Sandy recovery funds was spent on the ads. Buono remarked, "I don't know about you, but seeing Chris Christie frolicking on the beach is not going to drive me to go to the shore." While the Buono campaign maintained it only wanted to draw attention to how the federal money was being used and to question its effectiveness, Christie criticized Buono for stooping to the level of his former opponent, Governor Jon Corzine in 2009, who once used a line about Christie "throwing his weight around" in a campaign commercial. Buono said that Christie needed to "toughen up and face the facts," and remarked that it seemed he was using his weight to prevent others from criticizing him for failing strategies.[7][8]
Committee assignments
2010-2011
In the 2010-2011 legislative session, Buono served on these committees:
- Joint Budget Oversight
- Budget and Appropriations, Chair
- Budget and Appropriations (Budget Hearings Only), Chair
- Intergovernmental Relations Commission
- Joint Budget Oversight
Campaign themes
2013
Buono's 2013 campaign website highlighted the following issues and priorities:[9]
- Education
- Excerpt: "Nothing is more important to New Jersey’s future than an educated workforce that can compete in the global economy and start new businesses right here in our state. Barbara has been a tireless advocate for providing equitable K-12 funding across New Jersey, and fought Governor Christie’s efforts to cut $820 million in education funding."
- Environment
- Excerpt: "Governor Christie has repeatedly undermined efforts to reduce pollution and grow our clean energy economy. By unilaterally pulling New Jersey out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative that includes states throughout the Northeast, Christie has held back investment in our solar and renewable energy industries and could cost New Jerseyans high tech jobs. Barbara will restore New Jersey’s leadership in clean energy, attracting solar and wind projects and spurring new hiring. As governor, she’ll put a stop to the Christie Administration’s use of waivers that allow polluters to dirty our air and water and jeopardize public health."
- Healthcare
- Excerpt: "As Governor, Barbara will restore funding for women’s health and work to lower the cost of insurance and expand coverage."
- Transportation
- Excerpt: "Barbara [will] ensure that transportation funds are used to reduce congestion and improve commuter rail, not diverted to tax cuts for the wealthy."
- Working Families
- Excerpt: "she's fought to protect collective bargaining rights for teachers and firefighters and police officers who have been demonized by Governor Christie. As Governor, Barbara will continue those fights, for hard-working families across our state who can’t afford lawyers and lobbyists, but deserve to have their voices heard in Trenton."
- Gun Violence Prevention
- “When it comes to protecting our children, New Jersey can and must do better. Governor Christie has offered shallow solutions that do little to solve the problem of gun violence. As Governor, I will take decisive action to prevent the kinds of tragedies that are all too common today.”[10]
- LGBT
- Excerpt: "With Barbara as governor, LGBT New Jerseyans will finally have a leader in Trenton who fights for them. Barbara will ensure that New Jersey joins its neighboring states in making marriage equality the law of the land and make sure New Jersey's anti-bullying and anti-discrimination laws are fully enforced."
- Economy and Jobs
- Excerpt: "Barbara is committed to creating the same opportunities she had as a child growing up in Nutley—the chance to get an affordable education and a good job and to go as far as your talents take you. As governor, she will restore New Jersey’s place as a national leader in innovation, creating good-paying jobs that can support our families."
Elections
2013
| Buono claims that Christie wants to be President, while she wants to be "Your Governor." TV spot released Oct. 21, 2013 |
On December 11, 2012, Buono announced her candidacy for Governor of New Jersey in 2013.[11] Buono defeated Troy Webster in the Democratic primary election on June 4, 2013. She then selected Milly Silva for her running mate, filling the lieutenant governor slot on the Democratic ticket. Buono and Silva went on to lose to incumbents Gov. Chris Christie and Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno in the general election on November 5, 2013.[5][4]
- General Election - 2013 Governor Race
On November 5, 2013, Chris Christie and Kim Guadagno (R) won re-election as Governor and Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey. They defeated the Buono/Silva (D), Kaplan/Bell (L), Welzer/Alessandrini (I), Sare/Todd (I), Araujo/Salamanca (I), Schroeder/Moschella (I) and Boss/Thorne (I) ticket(s) in the general election.
| Governor and Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Chris Christie & Kim Guadagno |
60.3% | 1,278,932 | |
| Democratic | Barbara Buono & Milly Silva | 38.2% | 809,978 | |
| Libertarian | Kenneth Kaplan & Brenda Bell | 0.6% | 12,155 | |
| Independent | Steven Welzer & Patricia Alessandrini | 0.4% | 8,295 | |
| Independent | Diane Sare & Bruce Todd | 0.2% | 3,360 | |
| Independent | William Araujo & Maria Salamanca | 0.2% | 3,300 | |
| Independent | Hank Schroeder & Patricia Moschella | 0.1% | 2,784 | |
| Independent | Jeff Boss & Robert Thorne | 0.1% | 2,062 | |
| Total Votes | 2,120,866 | |||
| Election Results Via: New Jersey Department of State | ||||
- Primary
| Governor of New Jersey Democratic Primary Election, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
| Barbara Buono |
88.1% | 173,714 | ||
| Troy Webster | 11.9% | 23,457 | ||
| Total Votes | 197,171 | |||
| Election results via New Jersey Department of State. | ||||
Polls
September 26-October 28
| New Jersey Governor's Race 2013 | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Barbara Buono (D) | Chris Christie* (R) | Undecided | Margin of error | Sample size | ||||||||||||||
| Stockton College Poll (October 23-28, 2013) | 32% | 56% | 8% | +/-3.5 | 804 | ||||||||||||||
| Quinnipiac University Poll (October 21-27, 2013) | 31% | 64% | 5% | +/-2.8 | 1,203 | ||||||||||||||
| Rutgers Eagleton Poll (Likely Voters) (October 7-13, 2013) | 33% | 59% | 6% | +/-4.1 | 562 | ||||||||||||||
| Quinnipiac University Poll (October 10-14, 2013) | 33% | 62% | 5% | +/-2.2 | 1,938 | ||||||||||||||
| Monmouth University Poll (October 10-12, 2013) | 38% | 59% | 3% | +/-2.5 | 1,606 | ||||||||||||||
| Stockton Institute Poll (October 3-8, 2013) | 28% | 61% | 11% | +/-3.5 | 800 | ||||||||||||||
| Quinnipiac University Poll (October 5-7, 2013) | 33% | 62% | 4% | +/-2.9 | 1,144 | ||||||||||||||
| Rasmussen Reports (October 7, 2013) | 34% | 55% | 7% | +/-3.0 | 1,000 | ||||||||||||||
| Fairleigh Dickenson Poll (September 30, 2013-October 5, 2013) | 25% | 58% | 15% | +/-3.7 | 702 | ||||||||||||||
| Monmouth University Poll (September 26-29, 2013) | 37% | 56% | 4.0% | +/-4.0 | 615 | ||||||||||||||
| AVERAGES | 32.4% | 59.2% | 6.8% | +/-3.22 | 1,037.4 | ||||||||||||||
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. | |||||||||||||||||||
April 19-September 22
| New Jersey Governor's Race 2013 | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Barbara Buono (D) | Chris Christie* (R) | Undecided | Margin of error | Sample size | ||||||||||||||
| Quinnipiac University Poll September 19-22, 2013 | 30% | 64% | 6% | +/-2.8 | 1,249 | ||||||||||||||
| Stockton Poll September 15-21, 2013 | 30% | 58% | 9% | +/-3.4 | 812 | ||||||||||||||
| Rutgers-Eagleton Poll September 3-9, 2013 | 35% | 55% | 8% | +/-4.1 | 568 | ||||||||||||||
| Rasmussen Reports Poll September 10-11, 2013 | 32% | 58% | 8% | +/-3.0 | 999 | ||||||||||||||
| Farleigh Dickinson University PublicMind Poll August 21-27, 2013 | 26% | 50% | 24% | +/-3.7 | 700 | ||||||||||||||
| Monmouth University/Asbury Park Press Poll August 15-18, 2013 | 36% | 56% | 6% | +/-3.5 | 777 | ||||||||||||||
| Quinnipiac University Poll August 1-5, 2013 | 30% | 58% | 8% | +/-2.2 | 2,042 | ||||||||||||||
| Quinnipiac University Poll July 2-7, 2013 | 29% | 61% | 7% | +/-3.0 | 1,068 | ||||||||||||||
| NBC News/Marist Poll April 28-May 2, 2013 | 28% | 60% | 10% | +/-3.0 | 1,080 | ||||||||||||||
| Quinnipiac University Poll April 19-22, 2013 | 26% | 58% | 13% | +/-2.9 | 1,112 | ||||||||||||||
| AVERAGES | 30.2% | 57.8% | 9.9% | +/-3.16 | 1,040.7 | ||||||||||||||
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. | |||||||||||||||||||
Primaries
Incumbent Republican Gov. Chris Christie and Democratic state Sen. Barbara Buono each faced a single opponent in the June 4 primary election. Both candidates secured their party’s nomination with approximately 90 percent of the vote.[12]
Former Atlantic City Councilman Seth Grossman was the only Republican to challenge the first-term governor. Grossman’s campaign focused on criticizing Christie’s policies during his first term. On the Democratic side, Buono faced Troy Webster, an adviser to the mayor of East Orange, who emphasized his commitment to supporting working-class and middle-class families. Both Grossman and Webster received endorsements from the weekly publication NJ Today.[13]
Selection of running mates
After primary elections, New Jersey gubernatorial nominees have 30 days to select a running mate. Shortly after launching his re-election campaign, Governor Chris Christie announced that Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno would again be his running mate. Democratic nominee Barbara Buono announced her selection of Milly Silva, executive vice president of 1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, as her running mate on July 29.[14][15] The ticket competed against the incumbent team of Chris Christie and Kim Guadagno, along with several third-party candidates, in the general election held on November 5, 2013.
Polling
Christie was favored to win re-election, with his campaign raising nearly double that of Buono's in the primary and maintaining a double-digit advantage in the polls throughout the election season.[16] In the final week before the general election, polling averages showed him with approximately a 24 percent advantage.[17]
Public financing
Since 1977, New Jersey gubernatorial primary and general election candidates have been eligible to participate in a public funding program. Under this system, candidates who raise a minimum amount of money are dispensed tax-generated funds, controlled by the state election law enforcement commission, in direct proportion to campaign donations given from the public. In the 2013 election cycle, the qualifying threshold for primary election candidates was $380,000.[18] The purpose of the program is to lessen the influence of corporate contributions in elections. On February 2, 2013, then-presumptive Democratic nominee Barbara Buono's campaign reported that it had surpassed the $380,000 mark.[19] By that time, Christie's campaign had raised $2 million. Unlike in the 2009 election, when Christie participated in the public financing program during both the primary and general election phases, he chose to wait until after the 2013 primary to opt into the program. By qualifying, Christie became eligible to receive approximately $8 million in public matching funds. The qualifying terms also required him to participate in two debates with Buono before the general election.[19]
In New Jersey, candidates who qualify for and accept public financing are subject to a spending limit on their gubernatorial campaigns. As of 2013, the maximum allowable expenditure for such candidates was $12.2 million, with a cap of $8.2 million in public matching funds.[20] New Jersey employs a two-to-one matching program for qualified contributions. It is detailed in Title 19 Chapter 25 Sub Chapter 15 of the New Jersey State Statutes.
Money in the campaign
Since 1977, New Jersey gubernatorial primary and general election candidates can qualify for a public funding program whereby candidates who raise a minimum amount of money are dispensed tax-generated funds, controlled by the state election law enforcement commission, in direct proportion to campaign donations given from the public. In 2013, the qualifying sum for primary gubernatorial candidates is $380,000.[21] The purpose of the program is to lessen the influence of corporate contributions in elections. On February 2, 2013, Buono's campaign reported that it had surpassed the $380,000 mark.[19] By that time, Christie had already raised $2 million. Unlike in 2009, Christie is not using matching funds in the 2013 primary.[19] Buono did not raise enough to qualify for the $3.5 million maximum available under the matching funds program, and therefore entered the primaries with about $2.7 million, compared with Christie's nearly $7 million- raised without public financing. In the general election, Buono is eligible for a maximum of $8.2 million.[22]
In New Jersey, qualified candidates who choose to accept public funds may not spend more than $12.2 million on their gubernatorial campaigns. The maximum amount of public funds that any candidate may receive is $8.2 million.[23] New Jersey employs a two-to-one matching program for qualified contributions. It is detailed in Title 19 Chapter 25 Sub Chapter 15 of the New Jersey State Statutes.
| Barbara Buono[24] Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| Post-Primary Report | June 27, 2013 | $87,127.60 | $631,687.49 | $(651,893.65) | $66,421.44 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $631,687.49 | $(651,893.65) | ||||||||
2011
- See also: New Jersey State Senate elections, 2011
Buono won re-election to the District 18 Senate Seat. She ran unopposed in the June 7 Democratic primary election. Buono defeated Republican candidate Gloria Dittman in the general election which took place on November 8, 2011.[25]
| New Jersey State Senate District 18 General Election, 2011 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Barbara Buono Incumbent |
60.1% | 19,631 | |
| Republican | Gloria Dittman | 39.9% | 13,042 | |
| Total Votes | 32,673 | |||
2007
- See also: New Jersey State Senate elections, 2007
In 2007, Buono was re-elected to the New Jersey State Senate District 18. Buono (D) finished with 21,365 votes and was followed by Daniel Brown (R) with 12,896 votes. Buono raised $453,084 for her campaign fund.[26]
| New Jersey Senate 2007 General Election, District 18 (2007) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Barbara Buono (D)
|
21,365 | |||
| Daniel Brown (R) | 12,896 | |||
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Endorsements
2013
| Buono's first TV spot of the campaign, released May 22, 2013 |
Buono's campaign for governor was endorsed by the following individuals and organizations:[27]
- New Jersey Education Association
- Health Professionals and Allied Employees.[28]
- Congressmen Frank Pallone Jr.
- Congressman Bill Pascrell
- Democratic State Committee Chairman John Wisniewski
- Democratic Governors’ Association[29]
- State Sen. Richard Codey
- State Assemblyman Louis Greenwald[30]
- State Senate President Stephen Sweeney
- Mayor of Newark Cory Booker[31]
- Mayor of Jersey City[31]
- Mayor of Bayonne[31]
- Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick[32]
- New Jersey Firefighters Mutual Benevolent Association (NJFMBA)[33]
2011
In 2011, Buono endorsements included the following:[34]
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Buono and her husband, Martin Gizzi, have four children and two step-children.[6]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Barbara + Buono + New + Jersey + Senate"
Additional reading
External links
- Buono for Governor 2013, Official Campaign Website (Archived)
- Follow Buono's campaign on Twitter
- Buono's campaign on YouTube
- State Senator
- Social media:
- Summary, biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
- Profile at Wikipedia
- Fact-checking at PolitiFact
- Campaign contributions at Follow The Money
- Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
Footnotes
- ↑ New Jersey State Legislature, "Bills Sponsored by Senators and Representatives," accessed April 10, 2014
- ↑ NorthJersey.com, "Democrat Barbara Buono running for governor in NJ," December 11, 2012
- ↑ Nj.com, "Buono announces Milly Silva as her lieutenant governor pick," July 29, 2013
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 New York Times, Chris Christie Re-elected Governor of New Jersey, November 5, 2013
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 PolitickerNJ.com, "Buono: Together we can create a better New Jersey," June 4, 2013
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Project Vote Smart, "Biography of Barbara Buono," accessed November 25, 2014
- ↑ Huffington Post, Chris Christie Slams Barbara Buono Over Apparent Dig At Weight, September 3, 2013
- ↑ NJ.com, "Christie to Buono: Don't make fun of my weight," September 4, 2013
- ↑ Buono for Governor 2013 Official campaign website, "Issues," accessed August 1, 2013(Archived)
- ↑ Buono for Governor 2013 Official campaign website, "Issues-Plan to Prevent Gun Violence," accessed August 1, 2013(Archived)
- ↑ Quinnipiac University, "Booker Is Strongest Dem To Face Christie, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Voters Say Show Me The Money Before Tax Cut Vote," October 17, 2012
- ↑ NJToday, "Primary election results," accessed June 5, 2013
- ↑ NJ Today, "EDITORIAL: Troy Webster For Governor," April 14, 2013
- ↑ NorthJersey.com, "Barbara Buono picks union leader Milly Silva as running mate," July 25, 2013
- ↑ NJ.com, "Buono announces Milly Silva as her lieutenant governor pick," July 29, 2013
- ↑ NJ News 12, "Poll: Christie remains popular in NJ," accessed April 15, 2013
- ↑ RealClearPolitics, "New Jersey Governor - Christie vs. Buono," accessed November 3, 2013
- ↑ NJ.com, "Sen. Buono raises almost $250K in first month of campaigning," January 2, 2013
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 The Star-Ledger, "Buono qualifies for public matching funds in N.J. governor's race," February 4, 2013
- ↑ New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission, "Press Release," June 19, 2012 (dead link)
- ↑ NJ.com, "Sen. Buono raises almost $250K in first month of campaigning," January 2, 2013
- ↑ ABC News, "Chris Christie Challenger Suffers Another Setback," June 5, 2013
- ↑ Nj.com, "N.J. governor candidates can receive more money from donors, public financing under new guidelines," June 19, 2012
- ↑ New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission, "Campaign Finance Report Summary: Barbara Buono," June 27, 2013
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, "2011 Official State Senate Primary Candidate List," accessed April 10, 2014
- ↑ Follow the Money, "New Jersey State Senate 2007 general election results," accessed April 10, 2014
- ↑ NorthJersey.com, "Buono picks up key backing in N.J. governor's race," January 28, 2013
- ↑ PolititickerNJ.com, "National pipefitters wade into gov. race, endorse Christie," March 26, 2013
- ↑ Arizonacentral.com, "Dems agree on candidate to challenge NJ’s Christie," January 30, 2013
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedquinpolll - ↑ 31.0 31.1 31.2 NJ.com, "Harrison's Democratic leaders endorse Christie without tipping county Dem Party officials," February 1, 2013
- ↑ New Jersey.com, "Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick endorses Buono for N.J. governor," September 24, 2013
- ↑ The Paramus Post, "New Jersey’s Largest Firefighter’s Labor Union Backs Buono for Governor," September 24, 2013
- ↑ Politicker NJ, "2011 AFL-CIO endorsed candidates," accessed Aug. 5, 2011
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Jack Sinagra (R) |
New Jersey State Senate District 18 2002–2014 |
Succeeded by Peter Barnes, III (D) |
