Dems dropping Jerry Green?

Is the Union County Democratic organization dropping Jerry Green?

You might be forgiven for thinking so if you noticed that our suite of legislative candidates -- Nick Scutari for Senate, and Jerry Green and Linda Stender for Assembly -- have ditched the Dem designation.

In their signs, anyway.

I was intrigued by an AP story a few days ago about the number of candidates who are NOT mentioning their party affiliation in their campaign signs.

Turns out our local crew has joined the tide.

Why? Peter J. Woolley, a pollster and political scientist at Fairleigh Dickinson has an idea --

"Candidates, especially incumbents, tend to build up their own brand, and they don't want to contaminate their own brand name with a party label that might turn somebody off."

With both parties up to their ears in corruption scandals, indictments and zipper problems, it may make some sense to hide one's affiliation from the general public, especially since 60% of New Jersey's 4.8 million registered voters are unaffiliated.

Ellen Karcher, who is running for a Senate seat in a South Jersey legislative district opines that people need to know "Ellen Karcher is [an] independent voice who fought against corruption no matter who did it."

May work for her, but the idea that 22nd District candidates Green, Stender and Scutari are independent and in the forefront of the fight against corruption, would go over like a lead balloon in local circles.

Nevertheless, not mentioning ANY party affiliation is the best bet for suckering the inattentive.

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• AP: "N.J. candidates don't advertise party affiliation"

-- Dan Damon

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