Bill Spadea, who is running as a Republican for the Congress of New Jersey’s 12th district, says that he is a "kitchen table" politician who will fight for the issues that people discuss over dinner.

"I believe you need someone that is working hard, sending their kids to public schools, and can represent what regular people talk about at their kitchen table," Spadea said.

Spadea, 35, a Mercer County resident, graduated from Boston University, where he met his wife Jodi. According to a biography on his Web site, Spadea turned down several job offers to enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps upon his graduation, and was honorably discharged in 1999 as a corporal. He became President George Bush’s national youth director in 1992 and the elected national chairman of the College Republicans from 1993-1995. He is opposing Democrat Congressman Rush Holt for the 12th district, which includes several towns in Monmouth, Middlesex, Mercer and Hunterdon counties.

He said that if he is elected, his top three priorities will be small businesses, affordable health care, and keeping people safe.

"The economy is looking down, but we are certainly going in the right direction," he said.

Small businesses can get help get the economy back on track, and the real estate business is thriving right now due to people starting small businesses, Spadea said.

Spadea is currently the vice president in charge of education and career development for Weichert Realtors.

People start a small business and then they hire local people to work for them. Small businesses create more jobs, he said.

Spadea also feels that the high cost of health care is a problem, and something needs to be done about it. Health care is so expensive that employers can’t afford to purchase it for their employees, and for those employers that can offer it, there are too many employees that can’t afford to purchase it from the employer, he said.

Spadea advocated two bills Congress could pass to change the situation, and if he is elected, he said he’ll to go to Washington to fight for them. First, the government needs to pass a law that will enable small businesses to get together and buy bulk packages. Second, something needs to be done about the price a doctor has to pay for malpractice insurance.

"We tend to enrich lawyers," he said. "If someone is a victim of bad medicine, that’s one thing, but too many people are suing. These lawsuits are driving good doctors right out of New Jersey. The good doctors are paying for the mistakes of the bad doctors."

The high cost of prescription drugs is another issue Spadea feels is unnecessary.

"I don’t understand why Congress voted against seniors being allowed to buy prescription drugs from other countries, such as Canada," he said.

Spadea also said that he doesn’t think the government is using fear tactics with the terror threats.

"I don’t believe in conspiracy theory. I truly believe that there are people that want to protect us," Spadea said. "The government isn’t using the terror threats to scare the people into trusting them, the terror threats are very real, and I believe the president is doing something about it."

"The people push out the government when bad things happen. This is wrong, we need to face the enemy, or they will win," he said.

People need to act safely and start looking out for each other a little more, he said. People should keep doing what they normally do, just use a little more caution, he said.

Spadea also said that America is too dependent on foreign oil, and needs to find ways to decrease that dependency. He gives the hybrid car credit for a technological advance that could help the country reduce its need for foreign oil.

He supports the new electronic voting machines, and said that they are similar to electronic banking and bill paying.

"It is moving forward, which is what we need to do," Spadea said.

Spadea feels that too many politicians more concerned with winning elections than solving problems. If elected, he said he will focus on delivering solutions that will help people.

"I am running a neighborhood campaign. I’ve knocked on hundreds of doors, but I can’t knock on every door. I want people to come to me. The only way I can help is to listen. The only way I can listen is if people contact me," he said.