The New Jersey Globe will host three U.S. House and Senate debates this fall, in partnership with On New Jersey and the Rebovich Institute of New Jersey Politics at Rider University.
Democrat Andy Kim and Republican Curtis Bashaw will face off in the first U.S. Senate debate on Sunday, October 6 at 8 PM; the first debate of the closely watched NJ-7 congressional race between Democrat Sue Altman and Republican Tom Kean, Jr. will be held on Sunday, October 13 at 8 PM; and Democrat Nellie Pou and Republican Billy Prempeh will have their first debate for the 9th congressional district on Wednesday, October 16 at 8 PM.
On New Jersey’s Laura Jones will moderate the debates, while New Jersey Globe editor David Wildstein, New Jersey Globe Washington reporter Joey Fox, and Rebovich Institute director Micah Rasmussen will serve as panelists. Students from Rider University will also ask the candidates questions.
Each debate will last 90 minutes and be streamed to the New Jersey Globe and On New Jersey websites and social media accounts, including YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook. Debate sponsors include the New Jersey Education Association, the AARP New Jersey, and Eisai U.S.
The New Jersey Globe alone determined which candidates to invite – and decided to only invite major-party candidates in each race.
While independent or third-party candidates can sometimes play a major role in campaigns and even win, there’s little evidence that any of the non-Democratic and Republican candidates running for the U.S. Senate or the 7th or 9th districts this year are viable contenders. None have reported raising any money, gotten any major endorsements, or shown any other signs of being candidates with a real shot at winning. And time spent at debates on unviable candidates reduces the number of questions asked and topics addressed to those with a realistic chance.
No independent candidate has won a New Jersey congressional seat since before the Civil War when a coalition of opposition party members took control of the House. Only one independent, Anthony Imperiale, has won a seat in the New Jersey Legislature under the current State Constitution.
Kim and Bashaw are competing for the Senate seat currently held by interim Senator George Helmy; Helmy took office earlier this month to replace Senator Bob Menendez, who resigned in August following his conviction on federal corruption charges. If Bashaw were to pull off an upset and beat Kim, a three-term congressman, it would be the first Republican victory in a New Jersey Senate race since 1972.
Altman is seeking to deny Kean, who unseated Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-Ringoes) in 2022, a second term in the House. The 7th congressional district supported Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential race, and is seen as one of the most competitive seats in the country.
Pou is a late addition to the House candidate roster, having been chosen last month to fill the vacancy on the general election ballot left by the late Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-Paterson). Prempeh, who has lost two races for the Democratic-leaning 9th district in the past, was already running against Pascrell and will now face Pou instead.
The New Jersey Globe decided which candidates to invite. Only major party candidates were included. The New Jersey Globe believes that only viable candidates should be part of the debate and has not included any independents. Time spent on independent candidates in a debate reduces the number of questions asked and topics addressed to candidates with a realistic chance of winning.
New Jersey makes it incredibly easy for individuals to get on the ballot; for independents, it’s among the easiest states in the nation. Only 800 signatures are required to run for the U.S. Senate and 100 for Congress. This year, four independent Senate candidates and 30 are seeking seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.
There is more to becoming a candidate than standing outside a supermarket collecting signatures. To determine viability, we look at grassroots support, endorsements, campaign activity, and fundraising. The Clerk of the House designated “qualified candidates” as those required to file personal financial disclosures; no independent candidate in New Jersey this year is in that category, which means none have hit the $5,000 threshold.
No independent candidate had won a New Jersey congressional seat since before the Civil War when a coalition of opposition party members took control of the House. Only one independent, Anthony Imperiale, has won a seat in the New Jersey Legislature under the current State Constitution.
