The Hunterdon County Democrat, the county’s most popular weekly, endorses Chris Daggett for governor of New Jersey.

The Hunterdon County Democrat
Jon Corzine both managed well and muddled through the worst economic crisis in decades. Nevertheless, we fault him and his Democratic Party for years of ever-increasing debt and one-shot budget gimmicks…

…Christie hasn’t assured us of his ability to run the $32 billion state machinery. He has been lacking in describing where he’d draw back the reins, especially to close a yawning deficit that apparently faces us in 2010.

This time, both parties have failed and the voters’ best choice is the independent Chris Daggett. Unencumbered by party, he would have to pursue compromises and alliances that would break the partisan gridlock.

Most of the positive vision advanced in the campaign has been by Daggett. His ideas have set the agenda, especially on framing the hard choices to balance the state budget and all its repercussions - like tax increases, the future of property tax rebates, aid to schools and forcing reform on state workers’ benefits.