Barbara Buono in 2013 New Jersey governor debates

On Civil Rights: Daughter is gay; supports same-sex marriage

"If my children came to me and said they were gay I would grab them and hug them and tell them I love them," Christie said. "I would also tell them that your dad believes that marriage is between one man and one woman."

Buono, whose daughter is gay, said the governor's position on marriage equality makes him like Sarah Palin and the GOP caucus in Iowa.

On Gun Control: Criticizes pressure from gun rights advocates

Buono said she believes Christie changed his mind after he received a letter from gun rights advocates in New Hampshire, the site of the nation's first presidential primary.

On Immigration: Supports tuition equality for illegal immigrants

Buono supports the measure, which has not gone to a vote in the Legislature yet. "Be careful, this governor has a history of saying one thing and doing another," Buono said

On Government Reform: Making voting more difficult does not win elections

Christie, who is seeking re-election, raised the ire of unions and the Democratic Governors Association, who are backing his likely opponent, state Sen. Barbara Buono. "Governor Christie's veto is yet another example of Republican politicians taking the cynical view that making voting more difficult will win them more elections," Buono said.

On Budget & Economy: My budget work speaks for itself, including $11B deficit

Is one legislator--who happens to be running against Christie in November's gubernatorial contest--solely responsible for billions in debt?

Yes, Buono chaired the state Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee when the budgets in question were crafted. But governors don't have to keep state spending the same as it ever was. In the case of the $11 billion deficit, [Christie removed over] $3 billion. And it's a little over the top to say that Senator Buono was responsible for the $2 billion shortfall.

But Buono has frequently taken credit for the budgets in question, saying her time as budget chair "speaks for itself."

On Jobs: N.J. unemployment worse than US average & surrounding states

There are differing opinions about how unemployment should be measured but based strictly on the unemployment rate, Buono's three points appear to be valid. The national unemployment rate lingered at 9% throughout 2011. By February of this year it had fallen to 7.7%. So Buono is right that the US unemployment rate has declined steadily. Next, is NJ's unemployment rate nearly 2% higher than the nation's? It is, but only since about July 2012. Finally, how does NJ's unemployment rate stack up against CT and NY? BLS data shows that NJ's unemployment rate was at least 1% higher than CT's rate throughout 2012.

Our ruling: Given the varying degrees of accuracy, as well as the state measuring unemployment differently from the BLS, we rate Buono's claim "Mostly True."

On Health Care: NJ has lost half our pharmaceutical jobs

Buono's claim is largely correct. Buono's statement refers to New Jersey's percentage of pharma jobs nationwide lost since 1990. We reviewed Bureau of Labor Statistics data: New Jersey had 42,300 pharma jobs in December 1990. The nation had 210,400. So New Jersey's share was 20.1%. In December 2012 NJ had 28,100 pharma jobs, compared with 275,100 nationally. That means the state's share was 10.2%. So Buono is close to her claim that New Jersey lost "more than half" its pharma jobs.

Next, let's review where the lost New Jersey pharma jobs are going. NJ has lost life sciences jobs largely because the industry has a new business model for bio-based drug development; NJ specialized in chemical based drug development. We rate this claim Mostly True.

On Health Care: Keep collective bargaining for health benefits

Just as Gov. Christie celebrates how he approved pension and health benefits reform in June 2011, Buono says she stood up for her beliefs by opposing the landmark bill. Buono, who was Senate Majority Leader when the reform passed, broke with Senate President Stephen Sweeney when she voted against the legislation. That vote likely contributed to her ultimately losing the leadership post.

The 2011 reform mandates increases in health care contributions without employees' approval through negotiations, but the senator's wrong to suggest that bargaining right is eliminated forever. Once the increases are fully implemented after a four-year period, unions can resume negotiating those contribution levels.