Time After Time: The Somewhere Under Heaven Series

Debate Night

Naomi Yané: Good evening, from the campus of The College of New Jersey for tonight's gubernatorial debate. I'm Naomi Yané from News 12 New Jersey and I will be moderating tonight's debate against Democratic nominee, New Jersey assemblywoman Dr. Casey Pattinson and Republican nominee, Pemberton Township mayor Evan Kaufman.

Joining me in asking questions is NJ PBS reporter Melissa Rose Cooper, Jim Rosenfield from WCAU NBC10 in Philadelphia, Carla Weeks from the Asbury Park Press, and John Marco from the Burlington County Times.

We will begin with opening statements and we will start with Mr. Kaufman.

Evan:  Eight years ago we were given the promise of a fresh look at New Jersey with Chris Dunn but the question is were we given that? I think not and now eight years later we are faced with the question do we get a voice that will change things for the better or do we keep the course with a woman like Casey Pattinson. 

I will argue the point that my opponent is not a good idea for the people of New Jersey and prove that we need a younger, fresher voice than Casey Pattinson who is about as stale and old as they come. To make this point, I would like to remind you that this is a woman who has only two claims to fame: Running a second-rate private university in Lawrenceville, NJ, and being married to Robert Pattinson. Do we need that? I think not. We need to send the message that people in New Jersey are not going to be swayed by a mixed race know-it-all woman with Hollywood glamor backing her up.

Naomi: Thank you, Mr. Kaufman. Dr. Pattinson, please make your opening remarks.

Casey: Thank you, Naomi.

People of New Jersey, Mr. Kaufman does not see the bigger picture when it comes to me. Yes, I'm mixed race, yes, I'm the president emerita of Rider University, and yes, my husband is Robert Pattinson but as we all know, there's more to me than these three things.

At 15 I was not only a child prodigy in the art world but I was the youngest person in New Jersey to run a successful political campaign when my uncle Colin Kelly was elected mayor of Delanco Township. I repeated this success when he ran for Burlington County Commissioner and then took this to the state level as a digital and field organizer with the New Jersey Democratic Party. I graduated with my first college degrees the same year I graduated high school, I've been a successful businesswoman, a noted scholar, and an award winning journalist for both BBC News and MSNBC. I am a former mayor of Princeton and I am currently serving the 16th district in the General Assembly which I am also the current speaker of and fourth in the line of succession of governor. 

Mr. Kaufman also brings up my age and yes, I'm slightly older than he is but that does not mean I'm an "old lady." Like a lot of middle aged people, I still feel like I am in the prime of my life. I have stayed connected with the youth of New Jersey as an educator, mother, and a politician. Age is a number and as many have pointed out to me, I prove that every day I wake up because I could have ideally died within days of my birth, hence my nickname, "Mighty Casey." 

My opponent also discounts the progress that Gov. Dunn has brought to New Jersey but in his time as governor, Chris led New Jersey to be the tops in the country in way of education, inclusion, economy, and infrastructure. Taxes have gone down for the working class in the Garden State and quality of life for all New Jerseyians has gone up dramatically. We have seen our population go up with many choosing to call New Jersey home and as a proud lifelong New Jerseyian, I am extremely proud of that stat because we are by far leading the way in progress which I as governor am going to build on. Hopefully I can show you--the average voter of this great state--that we are without a doubt one of the best, if not the best, state to live in and a vote for Evan Kaufman is a vote for killing that progress. Thank you.