Republican Curtis Bashaw and Rep. Andy Kim (D-Moorestown) sparred over abortion, the filibuster, and more in their first debate before November’s Senate election.
Bashaw, a businessman unknown to many New Jerseyans, used the stage to introduce voters to his moderate platform — the moderation is likely needed if he is to be the first GOP senator elected in the Garden State since 1972. Kim, a three-term congressman, said Bashaw’s election could lead to further constraints on issues like abortion rights.
Bashaw and Kim are vying for the Senate seat left vacant by Senator Bob Menendez, who chose not to run for reelection after his conviction in a wide-ranging corruption case.
The 90-minute debate got off to an uneasy start. While answering the first question about affordability in New Jersey, Bashaw suddenly froze, gripped the lectern, and nearly fell forward. Kim walked over to Bashaw and asked the businessman if he felt OK. Bashaw, who had broken into a sweat and appeared to have trouble speaking, said he was OK as moderator Laura Jones took the debate into a break.
Bashaw, with the assistance of a handful of aides, walked into a hallway backstage as another aide asked for snacks. Bashaw returned with a soda about 10 minutes later and said that he hadn’t had enough food to eat throughout the day.
“I got so worked up about this affordability issue that I realized I hadn’t eaten all day,” he joked after returning to the stage.
Later, the debate took a second short break so Bashaw could be checked by paramedics and first responders.
For Kim’s part, he was at Bashaw’s side in just seconds to see how his rival was doing.
The interruption didn’t linger over the event — both candidates appeared sharp for the rest of the night.
Bashaw targeted Kim as a Washington insider who cannot foster an economic environment that would help New Jerseyans get ahead. Bashaw, a hotel entrepreneur, repeatedly mentioned the jobs he’s created in the state and said higher taxes and regulation won’t help workers.
“I believe we need to get at this by not regulating our way to innovation and growth, and we can’t spend our way to prosperity,” Bashaw said. “We need to unshackle our businesses.”
Kim raised doubts about Bashaw’s position as a pro-choice Republican. Kim highlighted the Supreme Court specifically — even if Bashaw is pro-choice, the congressman said any support for Republican court nominees could result in further limitations on abortion rights.
“I am worried about Mr. Bashaw’s ability to make decisions about Supreme Court justices, as we’ve seen him make a decision about who should be the next president,” Kim said.
Bashaw said he would support bipartisan legislation that codified the right to an abortion but didn’t offer specifics on what he wanted such a plan to look like.
“I believe that we should work in a bipartisan way to enshrine a woman’s right to choose federally,” the Republican said. “I think that’s an important task that needs to be done.”
The pair also disagreed on the internal mechanisms of the body they hope to join next year. Kim spoke adamantly against the filibuster, a rule that prevents most legislation from advancing in the Senate without 60 votes. Bashaw said he supports the filibuster but thinks it should be reformed — the businessman said senators should have to stand and speak on legislation they hope to block rather than “put a flag up” and halt progress.
The candidates traded barbs on immigration and border policies as well, though both described the current situation as a “crisis.” Bashaw hit Kim on the latter’s votes against some border security measures, and Kim said the backlog of immigration cases must be addressed and reform done “the right way.”
“I am pro-immigration,” Bashaw said. “I think it needs to be legal. It needs to be streamlined. We need to roll up our sleeves in a bipartisan way to get this done, but politicizing this border has been a catastrophe for our state and our nation, and it needs to be secured, certainly.”
On New Jersey’s Laura Jones moderated the event, and panelists included New Jersey Globe Editor David Wildstein and Washington, D.C., reporter Joey Fox, and Micah Rasmussen, the director of the Rebovich Institute of New Jersey Politics at Rider University.
The New Jersey Globe, On New Jersey, and the Rebovich Institute of New Jersey Politics at Rider University sponsored the debate.