Jersey’s Democratic gubernatorial candidate finds running mate

There’s mixed reaction to gubernatorial candidate Barbara Buono’s choice of labor organizer Milly Silva to be her running mate.

Fairleigh Dickinson University government professor Peter Woolley says the Democratic nominee has settled on a Lieutenant Governor candidate who is not well known.

“She certainly reached in a sense outside the leadership circle of her party, and that does raise the question of whether anybody in the leadership circle was interested in running with her.”

Rider University political science professor Ben Dworkin says choosing Silva may help Buono get support from residents who don’t particularly care for politicians.

“Here you have somebody who’s been a leader in a 7,000 person union. I think the Democrats are going to go around trying to talk about that kind of life experience that’s necessary.”

Analysts say Silva will help attract support from women and labor to the Buono campaign, but they doubt it will be enough for her to defeat Governor Christie.