The South Brunswick Post and The Cranbury Press will not be endorsing for the U.S. House of Representatives (we never do). But I want to pass along the endorsement in the 12th District race from our sister paper, The Princeton Packet, because it pretty much sums up my thinking on the race:
Eight years ago, when Rush Holt was first elected to Congress, he was a wet-behind-the-ears scientist-turned-politician better known for his mastery of physics than of policy, more adept at thinking deep thoughts than at speaking in public, who had the good fortune to run against an incumbent whose 15 minutes of fame consisted of singing “Twinkle, twinkle, Kenneth Starr” on the floor of the House of Representatives.
Rep. Holt has come a long way.
Today, he is a knowledgeable, articulate, savvy congressman who has built a reputation not only for constituent service, but for his commitment to progressive causes — election reform, smart growth, sustainable energy, stem-cell research. His leadership in the effort to require all electronic voting machines to produce a verifiable paper trail has garnered national attention. His background in science, and his devotion to the scientific method in researching and analyzing complex public issues, has earned him widespread respect among his colleagues in Washington.
Rep. Holt has also benefited greatly from the redrawing of his 12th Congressional District — which includes the Princetons, West Windsor and Plainsboro — following the 2000 Census; what was once a Republican bastion has morphed into what some observers now consider a fairly safe Democratic seat. This, in part, may explain why his Republican challenger this year is little-known former Helmetta Borough Councilman Joseph Sinagra.
Mr. Sinagra’s campaign is built largely on a platform supporting President George W. Bush — “stay the course” in Iraq, cut taxes, outlaw abortion (except when the health of the mother is in danger), ban embryonic stem-cell research. On two issues — illegal immigration and the minimum wage — he moves well to the right of the president, railing against “amnesty” for undocumented aliens and calling for abolition of minimum-wage laws.
Rep. Holt is the clear choice in this race.
South Brunswick Post, The Cranbury Press
The Blog of South Brunswick
Hank Kalet 