In the banquet hall of a hotel-turned-assisted living facility in her hometown of Clinton, Democratic challenger Sue Altman launched a six-stop town hall circuit that will stop in each of the 7th district’s six counties.
The town hall was itself a jab at Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-Westfield) — Altman said the congressman’s lack of town halls and in-depth interviews with the press signified a break in tradition from leaders in the district. And while Altman discussed the pair’s political and ideological differences with the event’s 175 attendees, she blamed the Republican’s relative lack of accessibility on an absence of “political courage.”
“He is not someone who’s known for wanting to be in the public eye, and I would respect that if he was accountable to the people of this district in other ways,” Altman said during the town hall. “But it is my opinion that he’s not at all.”
The Hunterdon County town hall on Monday night was the first of six Altman will host as part of the circuit. Janice Kovach, Clinton’s longtime mayor, introduced Altman to the crowd.
Altman, who gained political prominence as the leader of the state’s progressive Working Families Party but now must win over voters in the intensely competitive 7th district, tried to put some room between herself and Vice President Kamala Harris. When asked by a voter whether she supported Harris’ push for a 28 percent corporate tax rate, the congressional candidate said she thought the proposal was worth looking at but wanted to protect small businesses in New Jersey.
“I’m comfortable with taking a good, hard look at it,” the former teacher said about the corporate tax plan. “And look, I don’t agree with everything Vice President Harris stands for, so we can talk about that also.”
Altman, when asked during a press gaggle if she differed from Harris on other issues, criticized the previous administration’s withdrawal from Afghanistan.
“The Taliban just literally made it illegal for women to raise their voices or to look at a man that they’re not related to, and it just makes my heart sick. I didn’t want to be in a forever war in the Middle East, but I think the way we left Afghanistan wasn’t the greatest.”
The former basketball player also touted infrastructure as a local issue that needs congressional attention, calling the “erratic nature” of NJ Transit unsustainable for the state’s commuters.
“Whether it’s bumper-to-bumper traffic on Route 78 or it’s complete incompetence at New Jersey Transit, it is an absolute shame,” she said.
Altman’s next town hall will be Saturday in the Morris County town of Mount Olive.