Rev. Seth Kaper-Dale announced he is running for governor as a Green Party candidate.
HIGHLAND PARK -- Rev. Seth Kaper-Dale says he's tired of a few political leaders choosing candidates in important New Jersey races.
Fed up with "politics as usual," Kaper-Dale, of the Reformed Church of Highland Park, is throwing his hat into next year's gubernatorial race running on the Green Party ticket.
Though a lifelong Democrat, the soft-spoken yet fiery 41-year-old pastor who has never shied from controversy, said he became fed up when leaders in the Democratic Party swiftly coalesced around Phil Murphy as their gubernatorial candidate before voters even got the chance to get to know him. He believes the decision blocked voters from getting a glimpse at an array of other quality candidates, and it was a major igniter in his decision to run.
State Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester) took many by surprise when he recently announced he wasn't going to run for governor, citing the Democratic Party's rally around Murphy.
"The fact that we went from four legitimate candidates (to) backdoor deals that made everyone drop out but one ... (when) the voters haven't even had a chance to meet Phil Murphy," he said.
His platform is simple: the poor come first, period.
Modeling after the true teachings of Jesus Christ -- especially his proclivity toward challenging the so-called establishment -- he said, "Whoever is last will be the first priority of my administration."
He wants to implement more housing vouchers in towns to benefit low-income residents and the homeless. He wants to bring undocumented immigrants out from the shadows. He wants to end solitary confinement in state prisons and give prisoners the ability to vote.
He also wants to ensure black and Latino juveniles aren't disproportionately waived up to adult status in the criminal justice system and he wants all police-involved shootings investigated by independent prosecutors. He wants to implement a racial impact statement to ensure certain legislative decisions always weigh the impact on minorities and minority communities. He wants to educate the public on the Muslims residents. He wants to further the rights of the LGBTQ community, for which he has been fighting for decades.
And, he would put a moratorium on charter schools and would push to get rid of student-standardized test scores determining teacher evaluations.
The pastor who runs his church with his wife, Stephanie, has a record of standing up for society's most vulnerable and fighting against those who stood in the way of his cause -- not excluding the state and the federal government.
Last year he fought to bring 10 refugee families to Highland Park and said he was embarrassed by Gov. Chris Christie's position to bar refugees from entering the state, even if he didn't have the authority to do so.
Despite his devotion to his Christian faith, Kaper-Dale emphasized his beliefs would not interfere with public policy, like a woman's ability to access abortion or contraception.
Sitting in a chair in his church office, he scorned those who have used religion to persecute, especially with regard to gay rights.
He said he recognized that his open views on gay marriage and LGBTQ rights are out of step with some conservative Christians, but he feels strongly that one can read the Bible as suggesting God accepts and loves the LGBT community.
Kaper-Dale believes now is as good a time as ever to run for governor; he believes today's political climate is right for new ideas from non-establishment candidates, as he described Murphy, a former Goldman Sachs executive and former U.S. ambassador to Germany.
In an email Tuesday night, Derek Roseman, a spokesman for Murphy's campaign, briefly said, "We welcome him to the race."
Kaper-Dale will be formally introduced as the Green Party's gubernatorial candidate on Friday at an event in Montclair. Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein is also scheduled to speak at the event.
"We are extremely proud to have Seth Kaper-Dale at the top of our slate of candidates in next year's statewide elections," said Julie Saporito-Acuna, chair of the Green Party of New Jersey.
Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerMKent. Find the Find NJ.com on Facebook.