Three Democrats are competing in the June 10 primary election for two spots on the November ballot in the 1st Legislative District Assembly race, in which the two Republican incumbents are unopposed for renomination.
The three, all from Cape May County, are Carol Sabo, the mayor of West Cape May and a lifelong social worker; Brandon Saffold, a Princeton University student from Lower Township who would be the first member of Generation Z to hold state office, and Carolyn Rush, a mother of five and a former senior engineer at Lockheed Martin.
Saffold and Rush are running as a ticket.
The two winners will compete against Republican incumbents Antwan McCLellan, from Ocean City, and Erik Simonsen, from Lower Township, for the Assembly seat.
The 1st Legislative District encompasses all of Cape May County, most of Cumberland County and a small portion of Atlantic County.
The Herald sent the same questions to all three Democratic candidates; their answers are summarized below.
How would you, as a member of the Legislature, specifically address the issues of steeply increasing electricity rates and the lack of affordable housing in the county?
Rush said that spiking electricity costs are a result of an imbalance between supply and demand.
“We shut down some of the most polluting energy sources, which is a good thing,” she said. “We did not, however, replace them with enough clean energy sources. The plan to install ocean wind was thwarted, and not enough solar panels have been installed. In addition to a decrease in supply, the demand has increased exponentially with AI processing needs.”
Rush said that companies that use power for AI should be charged higher rates, and that more clean power sources need to come online.
Sabo said that the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities has failed in its mission to uphold affordable electricity rates.
“As a member of the Legislature, I would address the steeply rising electricity rates by making sure the state was actively participating in stakeholder meetings with PJM,” she said, referring to PJM Interconnection, which operates the electricity grid for New jersey and 12 other states. “It is important that N.J. advocates for its residents. We need to press the BPU to be more aggressive in their negotiations.”
Saffold said that he would “break up the monopolies that the electric industry has become, forcing competition. I would also seek to expand our electrical capacity and make the top users of energy supplement the cost.”
Regarding housing, Rush said that there are principles on the books that, if enforced, could help increase the housing supply, especially lower-priced homes. The Mount Laurel Doctrine that Rush cited became a judicial standard when political leaders in Mount Laurel began to condemn low-income areas of town, with the intent of putting more expensive housing there.
Residents were forced out of the town, and a series of New Jersey Supreme Court rulings set a guiding principle that low-income housing needs to be encouraged. On the back of this precedent, a recent formula was codified by the New Jersey Legislature that tells towns how many affordable housing units they are obligated to provide. Cape May City, for example, is obligated to have 46 units of affordable housing.
Rush wants to discourage the trend of short-term rentals in residential neighborhoods with targeted legislation.
“We need to better regulate the housing industry to provide housing that the residents of South Jersey can afford,” she said. “We can do this by barring corporations and hedge funds from allowing rental contracts for less than 12 months, imposing a vacancy tax for corporately owned vacant properties, and offering tax credits to sellers who sell to non-corporate, first-time buyers.”
Saffold’s stance on short-term rentals and corporate-owned properties was largely the same as Rush’s. He also supports the Mount Laurel Doctrine.
Sabo said that New Jersey needs to provide monetary incentives for developers to build housing for working families.
“The state needs to incentivize affordable developments,” she said. “It is important to engage with local communities to help them identify their needs and tailor solutions. The lack of affordable and sustainable housing impacts a community’s ability to provide the quality of life necessary for all citizens, teachers, police , firefighters, health-care professionals, people in the trades.”
What do you see as the role of the state and of the Department of Environmental Protection in managing coastal issues, for example, ever-continuing beach erosion and new regulations restricting development, that is, the DEP’s proposed REAL plan?
All three candidates affirmed the reality of human-caused climate change and its effects on weather patterns, coastal flooding and life at the Shore.
Sabo said that “the DEP and the state need to continue to be vigilant in terms of managing coastal issues. Beach erosion threatens our coastal communities, and millions are spent to replenish every year. Sensible guidelines for development need to be implemented. The REAL plan, while well-intentioned, needs to be scaled back, and a more metered approach taken.”
Rush believes that the state needs to encourage future-proof development, but said that the controversial REAL standards – Resilient Environments and Landscapes – are the wrong way to do it. These standards were set into motion by a Governor Murphy-led directive to the DEP and were not voted on in the Legislature.
“I do not believe something this important and far-reaching should be done by executive order,” she said. “The Resilient Environments and Landscapes initiative should be proposed as legislation that will be debated in the General Assembly and the state Senate and subsequently voted on by the full Legislature. The merits of the DEP’s proposed REAL plan have been questioned by many N.J. residents. I do not claim to have all the answers, but I believe in the state Legislature is where issues like this belong.”
Saffold said: “I think the name REAL plan speaks for itself. I do think we have to take the threat climate change has on our coastal communities seriously. Improving building standards and shifting buffer zones ensures the safety and security of our community.”
Which two other issues would you identify as pressing for county residents, and how specifically would you address them?
Saffold outlined two issues: the drug crisis and an overall affordability crisis.
He said: “I want to rewrite the Overdose Prevention Act and have a more aggressive approach to combating fentanyl and heroin on our streets. Under my policy proposal, drug dealers will be shaking in their boots, and those suffering from addiction will get better support.
“I will work with experts in any way to reduce everyday costs, from beach tags, to tolls, to health and child care. I want to make sure every resident and working family in N.J. is able to afford the necessities to survive.”
Sabo tied together the lack of public transportation in South Jersey to a lack of access to health care. She said that she wants to improve access to quality health care and supports tweaking the state’s funding formula to reduce school districts’ dependence on property taxes.
“There are many adjustments and tweaks that can be made to the school funding formula,” she said. “We need to look closely at district-specific needs: number of students requiring special education, security issues, and school-based youth services.”
Rush emphasized that the 1st Legislative District, of which Cape May County is a part, “has higher rates of poverty and unemployment than the rest of the state.”
She supports a corporate business tax to fund mass transit in South Jersey, which would connect the region to vital services available elsewhere in the state.
“I would also support the cancellation of the Turnpike extension in North Jersey and a redirection of those funds to mass transit in South Jersey,” she said.
What sets you apart from your two opponents in the primary?
Rush cited her background as an engineer and as a longtime activist for veterans, democracy reform, LGBTQ+ rights and environmental protections. “I am a problem-solver and strong team player,” she said, adding that her work in high-profile campaigns has earned her name recognition across the district.
Saffold pointed to his youth and military service: “My active-duty military service, 26-year-old stamina/perspective, and being a local born and raised in Cape May County set me aside from all candidates,” he said. He emphasizes a people-first approach and rejects what he sees as “the games politics has become.”
Sabo leaned on her experience in government and social work. “Advocacy requires me to have effective communication skills, understand policies, empower people … and collaborate effectively,” she said. She believes these skills make her particularly well-suited for legislative work.
Should you win the primary, how would you tackle the challenge of a campaign in a county that leans heavily Republican?
All three candidates reject the idea that partisanship should dictate how a person votes.
Sabo emphasized common ground and said that many residents, regardless of party, share the same core concerns. “Good government is important to all,” she said. “Thoughtful spending is important to all. Healthy children and adults are important to all.”
Saffold stressed that his campaign is not about partisanship. “I am running as an Independent-Democrat trying to push change within the entire system,” he said. “This campaign is about the people.”
Rush said that the “status quo is not working for us” and that Democrats have a lot to bring to an area largely dominated by Republican voices.
“Simonsen and McClellan have had three cycles in power and have done little to improve the lives of South Jersey residents,” she said. “Furthermore, they do not speak out against the unconstitutional actions of President Trump or the House Republicans’ budget initiatives that will blow up the national debt. I will focus heavily on independents (aka unaffiliated voters). I will point out that Simonsen and McClellan are on the wrong side of many issues.”
Tell us about yourself, where you’re from, your ties to the county, and why you entered this race.
Saffold was born and raised in Cape May County, graduated from Lower Cape May Regional High School in 2016, and enlisted in the Coast Guard to continue his family’s legacy of service. Now completing a politics degree at Princeton University, he says, “I’m running to bring politics back to the people – and to fight for a better way of life for all of us.”
Rush, a Sea Isle City resident, grew up as the sixth of seven children in a working-class family and said that she “understands the power of shared sacrifice and cooperation.” She is a mother of five and had a 38-year engineering career before running for Congress in 2022. She has long been active as a volunteer in her children’s schools and is the co-chair of the Eileen Frank ALS Foundation. “I believe that now, more than ever, is the time to take meaningful action to address the challenges facing South Jersey and beyond,” she said. “At this time when the federal government is taking away citizens’ rights I want to protect the rights of New Jersey’s residents at the state level.”
Sabo is a lifelong New Jersey resident who has lived in West Cape May since 1987. She has served as borough commissioner since 2013 and is now mayor. “It seemed more important than ever to have Democratic voices in Trenton,” she said. “I will bring a spirit of problem-solving and those skills to the state Assembly.”
Contact the reporter, Collin Hall, at 609-886-8600, ext. 156, or by email at chall@cmcherald.com
