MacArthur, Kim trade jabs in gentle 3rd district debate

An NJTV debate between Rep. Tom MacArthur and Andy Kim saw some barbs exchanged between the two, with MacArthur repeating attacks that have become a core part of his campaign against the former Obama Staffer while Kim focused primarily on MacArthur’s vote on the health care bill House Republicans passed through their chamber last year.

The two began exchanging jabs early into the 70-minute debate, though the exchanges were generally tamer than those traded by Sen. Bob Menendez and Bob Hugin when they were on the same stage last week.

“My opponent takes enormous sums from corporate PACs. He received over $500,000 in contributions from pharmaceutical companies, insurance companies and wrote their healthcare repeal bill,” Kim said. “Those are the types of actions I was trying to get to again with the question I asked about who is he working for? Who is he trying to represent in Congress.”

MacArthur authored an amendment to the American Health Care Act, which passed in the House before dying in the Senate last year.

The congressman stood by behind his role in drafting that legislation and defended himself by saying Kim had breached his Pac-money promise by participating in a coordinated ad campaign by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee hitting MacArthur on health care.

“He just accused me of being in the bag of pharmaceuticals. That is ludicrous. you have campaigned with Cory Booker and Bob Menendez, who have both taken millions of dollars from pharmaceutical companies,” MacArthur said. “And Andy, you are at the end right now of a $900,000 ad buy with the D-C-C-C … They are flush with corporate dollars.”

MacArthur’s debate strategy centered around launching the same attacks he has made on the campaign trail while burnishing his bipartisan credentials in an effort to court more moderate voters in Burlington County.

He touted a bipartisan rating granted to him by the Lugar Center, much like Rep. Leonard Lance did when he and former Assistant Secretary of State Tom Malinowski met for their NJTV debate.

In addition to charges, among others, on Kim’s PAC pledge, resume and Medicare for All, the congressman also levied a new attack on his opponent as a response to Kim’s performance during the debate — he said the challenger was short on policy specifics in response to questions over a number of topics.

“I said much of what I came to say. I think my opponent spoke very generally about most subjects. A lot of anecdotes. I didn’t hear very many solutions,” MacArthur said in the spin room following the debate.

Numerous times throughout the debate, Kim told anecdotes based on conversations with the district’s residents in response to policy questions — including but not limited to ones on student loan debt, the federal flood insurance program and tariffs — giving some credence to the congressman’s charge.

In the spin room, Kim pushed back on MacArthur’s characterization, naming a handful of policy prescriptions he offered during the debate, mainly ones having to do with provisions that would keep Medicare solvent.

There were some agreements throughout the debate, mostly coming from Kim. Such agreements have been rare enough in this year’s televised debates.

Still, neither candidate made any big mistakes, and the debate is unlikely to change the dynamics of the race or really move the needle in any other sense, said Monmouth Pollster Patrick Murray.

Considering how close the race is, that’s not good news for either candidate.