Mehta hits Bucco over slow-moving response to debate invitation

Democratic challenger Rupande Mehta hit State Sen. Anthony Bucco (R-Boonton) for a laggard response to a New Jersey Globe debate invitation Tuesday.

“Bucco puts out blatant lies on a daily basis but can’t come face to face when it comes to talking about what affects families in the district. His agenda is simple, and that is to use his family name to stay in power for his own self-interest,” she said. “He has been given the opportunity to defend his record instead he chooses to hide.”

The New Jersey Globe is hosting a debate for the 25th legislative district’s State Senate special election at 9 p.m. on Oct. 18.

Bucco’s has yet to indicate whether he would participate. The Globe has been in contact with both campaigns and has set a hard deadline of Tuesday, Oct. 13, for Bucco to accept or decline the invitation.

The winner of the election will serve the remaining 14 months of late State Sen. Anthony R. Bucco’s unexpired term. The elder Bucco died of a heart attack in September 2019. He was 81.

It’s possible that skipping the debate could prove risky for Bucco, who represented the district in the Assembly before moving into his father’s State Senate seat.

“It tells voters you’re denying them the ability to cast a vote that is fully informed by an open discussion about the race and each candidate’s positions,” said Micah Rasmussen, director of Rider University’s Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics.

In the event that a candidate is forced to debate alone, the space their opponent would have filled virtually will be occupied by an empty chair.