The differences on Reproductive Rights
Christine Clarke will protect your reproductive healthcare rights, including tests, birth control, and abortion access. She believes it's not the government's business to make decisions about people's bodies or life plans, such as whether and when to become parents. Clarke thinks that women's rights are families' rights, and she's been working hard for years as an activist to protect not only reproductive healthcare freedom, but healthcare access as well. She will fight to protect the hard-fought victories we’ve already won in New Jersey, and expand access and care to more people.
Anthony M. Bucco sabotages women's rights. He voted no on codifying reproductive freedom into state law (S49, 2022), and cosponsored a bill to give developing fetal tissue full legal personhood (S673, 2022). The bill would also jail doctors who perform abortions for 30 years, and impose mandatory reporting on staff with penalties for noncompliance. Bucco also voted No on a bill to protect women who are coming to New Jersey for reproductive healthcare from being extradited and prosecuted in other states where abortion is now illegal. (A3974, 2022). Yes, that’s right - he voted No on protecting women from being jailed for having abortions.
The Differences on Tax Fairness
Taxes are how the government pays its bills. Clarke believes that the government should be funded fairly by taxpayers, businesses and corporations all paying their fair share, not by the working class covering tax breaks for the richest Americans. She supports the ANCHOR property tax rebate, child care tax credits, and making life more affordable for working families. Clarke has long believed that people shouldn't struggle to afford housing, that higher education shouldn't saddle people with lifelong debt, and that GoFundMe should never be a co-insurance plan. With major infrastructure investments needed, like fixing NJ Transit, we need tax fairness.
Bucco says he 'never voted for a tax increase,' but he also doesn't vote to give tax breaks to working families. Bucco voted No on the ANCHOR tax rebate program. He also voted No on the Homestead tax credit (A1678, 2010). He voted No on tax credits for child care expenses paid (A3088, 2018). He votes No on minimum wage increases (SCR-1, 2012; A2612, 2012). He voted No on paid sick leave for employees (A1827, 2018). He voted No on unemployment benefits for people out of work due to a labor strike (A4772, 2023). More and worse.
Bucco also votes no on taxing mega-corporations fairly. This in effect means he votes to increase our taxes, because the state has to balance the budget somehow (ex. raising the gas tax).
The Differences on Jobs in the Clean Energy Economy
Clarke has been fighting for a clean energy future for New Jersey for years because of the great potential for New Jersey to lead in the clean energy sector and bring thousands of good, well paying union jobs to our state that can't be outsourced. (See here for more info.) Nationally, every dollar spent on clean energy through the Inflation Reduction Act is seeing seven dollars of private investment. Clarke wants New Jersey benefiting from leading in the work ahead so that we are a provider for everything from strategy to supplies, and we can keep a steady workforce employed as the nation makes good on its pledges to cut emissions and build clean energy infrastructure.
It's not just about the economy either - cutting toxic emissions will improve the quality of our air and water, preserve the purity of our environment and improve public health. It will draw in and support new businesses, as they seek to 'green' up their energy portfolios. It will help protect our communities from flooding, and our coastlines from erosion and sea level rise. All positives.
Anthony M. Bucco has voted against clean energy initiatives for years. He has an "F" score with Climate Cabinet Action for his anti-environment votes. He voted No on loans for developing green buildings (A2215, 2011). No on banning hydraulic fracturing, or 'fracking' (S2576, 2011). He voted No on participating in RGGI (S1322, 2012), which brought $152.2 million into NJ for clean energy investments. No on New Jersey joining the U.S. Climate Alliance (S598, 2018). No on New Jersey increasing it's clean energy commitments (A3723, 2018). He voted No on S232, first-of-its-kind legislation giving communities a right to a hearing when polluters want to expand in their communities (S232, 2020). He voted No on requiring municipal master plans to factor in climate change (S2607, 2020). He voted No on establishing the Office of Clean Energy Equity (S2484, 2020). He voted No on requiring solar readiness on all new warehouses (A3352, 2021). He voted No on letting offshore wind projects construct power lines and obtain property interests, to deliver energy onshore (S3926, 2021). There's more. If the climate matters to you, vote Clarke, not Bucco.
The Differences on Students’ Rights, and Schools
Christine Clarke believes that New Jersey schools are the best in the nation not only for having the best teachers but also the best curriculum. We are leading in teaching children about everything from real histories to climate impacts, and it's important that we continue to do so as we prepare young people to be great citizens, initiative-taking contributors in workforces and participants in society. It's important that every student has a safe, healthy, equitable education and full access to intact libraries that include materials ranging from curriculum needs to choice books, and everything inbetween. Clarke supports keeping education at the forefront of our financial priorities, and supporting New Jersey schools. It's always a good idea to invest in our future.
Anthony M. Bucco voted No on S2 (2018) to fix the school funding formula after years of Republican cuts to school funding, some of which he supported like the 2011 budget that cut $820 million. Bucco voted no to DEI inclusion in schools (A4454, 2020). Bucco is the current prime sponsor of S2483, a 'parents choice' bill like the "Don't Say Gay" bill in Florida. What he calls "Parents Rights" allows religious extremists to discriminate and cherry-pick educational content in public schools. Bucco recently, as GOP leader in the Senate, released a manifesto of his priorities if the Republicans flip the legislature, and his discrimination bill was at the top of the list. He sat on a panel with book-banners Moms for Liberty that have been harassing school boards for repeals of health standards that protect at-risk kids. These groups are costing districts thousands of dollars in legal fees to fight over discrimination, and forced outings of LGBTQ youth. Ultimately, Bucco's ideologies threaten our property values, because new homebuyers don't want to move to towns that become known for discrimination in schools.
The Difference on Voting Rights
Clarke supports making participation in democracy easy, convenient and enjoyable. She would have supported the reforms to expand and improve voting by mail as well as funding to support it. She would have supported automatic renewal of absentee ballots, especially considering that those with mobility issues, transportation issues or trouble accessing internet forms might not have an easy time filling out the vote-by-mail ballot application every year, leading to voter disenfranchisement. She agrees with having many local locations for ballot drop boxes, expanding early voting, and she supports same-day voter registration.
Bucco does not support more people being able to vote. He voted No on a number of mail-in ballot reforms during the pandemic to make it safer for people to vote, too. He voted No on expanding ballot receipt and election deadlines to allow more votes to be counted (A4320, 2020). He voted No on having ballot drop boxes in every county in New Jersey (A4475, 2020). He voted no on the Ballot Cure Act to let people resolve any issues with their submitted ballots (S4276, 2020). He voted No on early in-person voting (S3203, 2020; S2364, 2013). He voted No on letting people who have asked for absentee ballots have them automatically in all future elections (S4069, 2018). He voted No on automatic voter registration at some locations, like NJMVC (A2014, 2018). And more. Bucco wants it to be harder for you to vote - and it's no secret why. If more reasonable people vote, he won't win races.
Choose a better District 25 and a better New Jersey:
Make a plan to vote on or by Tuesday, November 7 for Christine Clarke for State Senate, and for her team mates, Dr. Jonathan Torres and Diane Salvatore, for State Assembly. To learn more about voting, how to vote, or to find dropbox locations, visit our Vote page. Thank you!