quick summary

Carolyn Rush

Carolyn Rush is a self-described “citizen candidate” and “guardrail capitalist” who brings empathy, pragmatism, and transparency to her campaign for the NJ General Assembly in Legislative District 1. A professional engineer, mother, and advocate for mental health reform, she offers thoughtful, policy-driven responses grounded in real-world experience and a desire for practical progress.

Rush supports reproductive rights with viability-based medical limits decided by doctors—not lawmakers—and champions healthcare as a basic right that should prioritize people over corporate profit. She sees poverty and lack of opportunity as the root causes of crime and supports integrating mental health professionals into public safety efforts. On LGBTQ+ issues, she firmly opposes forced student outings and supports case-by-case affirming care, standing against political culture wars targeting trans youth.

Economically, Rush believes in capitalism with ethical constraints—advocating for stronger worker protections, accountability in CEO-to-worker pay ratios, and better wage equity. She supports due process in immigration enforcement, distinguishes herself from zero-deportation ideologies, and is committed to protecting law-abiding immigrants caught in bureaucratic traps.

She favors civics education, centralized candidate information, and rebuilding local press infrastructure as pillars of a functioning democracy. Her campaign emphasizes conscience over conformity, transparency over vague slogans, and a sincere belief that everyday citizens—not just party insiders—deserve a voice in shaping New Jersey’s future. Her transparency is already above average and could become top-tier if communication efforts remain consistent through Election Day.

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Rating Explanation

Carolyn Rush

Carolyn Rush is the Democratic nominee for the New Jersey General Assembly in Legislative District 1. While her ticket-mate did not advance past the primaries, Rush’s campaign has shown a strong and above-average commitment to transparency—marked by in-depth engagement, accessibility, and a clear willingness to clarify her views directly.

She has participated in a 2.5-hour in-depth interview with InformTheVoteNJ, where she discussed a wide range of policy issues with notable clarity and candor—offering a level of detail rarely seen in early-stage campaigns. In addition to that:

• -She has agreed to follow-up interviews to further clarify and expand on key issue stances.


• -She expressed willingness to participate in a public forum alongside her primary opponent, though direct coordination on that event did not materialize before the primary.


• -She has appeared at campaign events with gubernatorial candidate Steven Fulop, though promotion of those events has been limited, discovered primarily through personal social media circles.

At this point, Rush stands out as an accessible and thoughtful candidate who is highly open to public dialogue. Her transparency rating is best described as above average—particularly due to her thorough interview responses and collaborative communication. However, her campaign platform is still evolving, with no centralized public repository of written stances or a consistently updated event calendar.

If Rush continues to maintain open lines of communication and ensures that public-facing information—such as platform summaries, issue positions, and event access—remain easily available and up to date throughout the general election season, she would be well-positioned to reach a top-tier transparency rating.

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