quick summary

Brandon Saffold

Carolyn Rush is a self-described “citizen candidate,” offering thoughtful, measured responses grounded in empathy and transparency. A mother who’s experienced firsthand the failures of New Jersey’s mental health system, she shares Brandon’s passion for reform. Carolyn supports reproductive rights, backing New Jersey’s protections but open to viability-based limitations—so long as doctors, not lawmakers, make the final call. She champions healthcare as a basic right, is skeptical of the for-profit system, and emphasizes better services over corporate profit. On crime, she sees poverty and lack of opportunity—not a lack of police—as root causes and wants mental health professionals integrated into law enforcement responses. Carolyn strongly supports LGBT rights and opposes punitive legislation or culture wars targeting trans youth, favoring individual case-by-case approaches. She also supports civics education, centralized candidate information, and reinstating meaningful press coverage as foundational to a functioning democracy. Her platform rests on open-mindedness, conscience over conformity, and a belief that everyday citizens deserve a voice in shaping the future.

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Rating Explanation

Brandon Saffold

Brandon Saffold and Carolyn Rush are Democratic candidates for the New Jersey General Assembly in Legislative District 1. So far, their campaign shows clear signs of energy and openness—but is still in the early-to-mid stages of becoming fully transparent and organized.

They’ve launched a joint campaign website, which includes biographical information but does not yet provide written policy positions or a clearly articulated platform. However, both candidates participated in a lengthy, in-depth 2.5 hour interview with InformTheVoteNJ, where they discussed numerous issues with a level of detail and openness not often seen at this stage in a local campaign.

They’ve also:

• -Agreed to follow-up interviews to further clarify positions


• -Expressed willingness to participate in a public candidate forum alongside their primary opponent, Carol Sabo (though contact has not yet been established)



• Participated in at least one campaign event with gubernatorial candidate Steven Fulop, though the event was not widely advertised and was only discovered through personal social media connections

As it stands, Saffold and Rush come across as highly willing to engage, but it remains unclear how fully developed their campaign strategy and outreach efforts are. There’s no obvious event calendar, limited messaging visibility beyond direct engagement, and no public repository of clear stances on core legislative issues—despite the candidates demonstrating strong awareness of them in conversation.

For these reasons, both candidates currently receive an average to above-average transparency rating, based on their direct engagement and willingness to participate in open discussion. A fully developed public-facing platform—supported by consistent updates, better event promotion, and broader accessibility—would solidify them as top-tier in transparency.

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