Independent Chris Daggett Optimistic Ahead of N.J. Gov. Vote

"There are three weeks left," he told Nancy Cordes on "Washington Unplugged" on Tuesday. "In some polls I have been as high with a margin of error as twenty-one percent. And I believe at some point what happens is it is going to kick in and you will have an attitude from people much like the '73 Mets. You gotta believe," he said.

The independent candidate, who now carries the endorsement of the state's largest newspaper, said he has been able to convince people that he is a "credible alternative" to the other two parties.

He addmitted that he first considered running for governor four years ago and decided against it after speaking with former Maine Governor Angus King.

"This time around I saw that the activities and the sort of confluence of events were coming together pretty well," Daggett said.

Cordes asked what the candidate took the Newark Star-Ledger editors to mean when they said their endorsement of him this weekend was less about the strength of his opponents but rather a repudiation against the Republican and Democratic parties "both of which have forfeited any claim to the trust and confidence of the people on New Jersey."

"One of the reasons I ran for governor was because I believe that the two party system in New Jersey is broken -- that both Democrats or Republicans have taken us into a deep finanical mess in New Jersey and that neither party has the willingness or the ability to address the problems that face the state," he replied.

Cordes also asked whether Daggett thinks he faces the risk of being "ostracized" by both parties if elected and not being able to produce results.

"No not at all," Daggett said. "I have a long track record in New Jersey life," he said boasting having worked with state elected officials and legislators of both parties.

Citing the New York Times' profile on Daggett, which noted the contentious race between the frontrunners, Cordes asked how he can convince voters that a vote for him is not a "wasted vote."

He noted that the majority of New Jersey voters are registered independents. "I am begining to convince people that the only wasted vote this year is the vote for politics as usual," Daggett said.

Watch the full interview above.

"Washington Unplugged" appears live on CBSNews.com each weekday at 12:30 p.m. ET. Click here to check out previous episodes.