Bucco Battles Back From NJ-10 Election Defeat, Sets Sights On November
NEW JERSEY — Carmen Bucco knows what it's like to be an underdog. He has spent time in foster homes – much of it in Nutley – where he later graduated high school, owns a business (Bucco Couture) and founded a nonprofit, Bucco's Rising Stars, which reaches out to underserved youth. And the Republican congressional candidate says he isn't letting his apparent loss in this week's special election distract him from a bigger prize: the Nov. 5 general election.
On Wednesday, Bucco was one of four candidates who appeared on the ballot for a U.S. House of Representatives seat in New Jersey's 10th District, which has been vacant since the death of Donald Payne Jr. in April . The district includes several municipalities in Essex, Hudson and Union counties.
Four candidates appeared on the ballot: Bucco (Republican), LaMonica McIver (Democrat), Russell Jenkins (Independent) and Rayfield Morton (Independent). The Associated Press has called the race in McIver's favor ; election results remain uncertified.
If the results stand firm, McIver will take over Payne's unexpired term in Congress, which runs out at the end of the year. But that's not the end of the story in the 10th District – another election looms just a few months away for a full term.
And Bucco is in it for the long haul, he says.
After this week's election, the Republican candidate congratulated his Democrat counterpart on her apparent victory. But he added that "for those who believe in me and my policies, I am not going anywhere ... we still have a second chance to make District 10 great again."
Learn more about Bucco's campaign platform
The 10th District includes the following municipalities: Caldwell, East Orange, Essex Fells, Irvington, Montclair (part), Newark (part), Orange, Verona, West Orange in Essex County; Jersey City (part) in Hudson County; Cranford, Garwood, Hillside, Kenilworth, Linden (part), Roselle, Roselle Park, Union Township in Union County.
Bucco – who currently lives in Kenilworth – told Patch that he "understands the results and accepts what the outcome was."
"We are in a district that traditionally votes Democrat," he said, adding that getting Republicans in the area to actually cast ballots will be a key factor in the upcoming rematch this November.
"We need to do better," Bucco said. "When we only turn out 7 percent of the vote, we will never be able to change anything. We have to understand that we can't hate the player, but we can hate the game – we just have to play the game better. We can truly win elections if we turn out the voters, we need of 35 percent of voters to come out."
Bucco reminded residents in the district that there are three ways to vote in New Jersey: in-person on Election Day, by mail, and via early in-person voting.
Bucco said that members of his political party often complain about voting by mail – but argued that "this is one of the reasons we lose."
"If every mail in vote came in, people early vote and the rest come out on Election Day, we can win," he said. "We must have hope and that is a message that has been resonating with the constituents."
Those constituents don't currently include Nutley, which is now in the 11th Congressional District. But living and working in the township has left its mark on Bucco, he told Patch:
"I have been involved in politics for over 25 years. You can learn a lot being a business owner and homeowner. We have to make sacrifices, budget wisely and not spend frivolously. One thing we are proud of is our reputation, the one thing when you die is people will always remember your reputation. My business is built on not only its reputation, but how we deal with consumers. I bring that same trait to my politics. Sometimes it is not about getting something – it is about just listening."Bucco hasn't shied away from his hard-scrabble past, which he recounts on his campaign website and the website of the nonprofit he founded. According to Bucco, he spent years in the New Jersey foster care system, running away at times when things got tough. He would spend time on the streets, fending for himself and "just surviving" – at times wondering if his life was "worth living."
He also felt that the system had failed him – and others like himself. And eventually, the future Congressional candidate decided that there were only two options: become a statistic, or become part of society.
"I try not to dwell on the past because if we do it holds us back," Bucco told Patch when asked to speak about his time in foster care.
"I was in a couple of homes, but most of my foster care time was spent in Nutley," he said. "I lived on church property in my last foster home. It was interesting, because today I look back and always wonder – 'What if?'"
"Although I am proud of the man I have become because of my past experiences, I believe most of these young men and women feel there is no hope and no one truly cares," Bucco said.
But that's something he hopes to change if elected.
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