ANDREWS LAUNCHES TOWN HALL MEETINGS ACROSS NEW JERSEY
Congressman Begins Series of Meetings in Middlesex County

CHERRY HILL, N.J. - Taking his message of new leadership to Democrats across New Jersey, U.S. Senate candidate Robert E. Andrews launched a series of town hall meetings today to give voters a chance to judge the candidate and his vision for the future in advance of the June 3 primary.

Andrews, a U.S. congressman from Haddon Heights, will discuss the issues today with voters in Middlesex County in his first town hall meeting. He will hold a second on Tuesday in Atlantic City and continue the face-to-face meetings with voters in at least 10 other venues across the state. Andrews said he would speak and take questions until they were all answered. He said the campaign would neither screen the audience nor its questions.

"While Sen. Lautenberg is hiding from the voters, I will continue giving them the opportunity to tell me their concerns for themselves and their families," Andrews said. "I will tell them my positions on the issues and talk about my ideas for the future. I will take questions until they all are answered. The voters have a right to have that kind of firsthand access to anyone seeking to represent them, and I take that responsibility very seriously."

Lautenberg, who retired in 2000 but is now seeking a fifth term in the Senate, has refused to participate in any debates proposed by several non-partisan organizations or to appear with Congressman Andrews at any public forums. "This is an election, not a coronation," Andrews said, "but it is becoming more and more apparent that Sen. Lautenberg doesn't see it that way. He seems to regard the Senate seat as his birthright."

Andrews said the town hall meetings will give voters in the Democratic primary the chance to hear his views on critical problems such as the Iraq War, the worsening economy and the unconscionably high costs of heath care. He said he will articulate his vision for the future and the critical need for new, vigorous leadership in Washington.

"I think people are tired by the status-quo, stale old politics of the past, politics based on negative attacks and slick TV ads that distort the issues," Andrews said. "They want candidates who will listen to their concerns and give them honest answers."