On Chat Box with David Cruz this week, Larry Hamm discusses his candidacy for U.S. Senate. The veteran activist and chairman of the People’s Organization for Progress discusses why he’s running to replace Sen. Bob Menendez, his perspective on the competition from other declared candidates, and top issues facing the state and the nation including immigration, the economy and conflicts abroad.

Also this week, Ashley Koning, the director of the Rutgers Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling, goes beyond the ads and the candidate endorsements to discuss the issues surrounding the Democratic primary and whether voters have already chosen their candidate.

Watch Chat Box on the NJ Spotlight News YouTube channel Thursdays at 6 p.m., and on NJ PBS Saturdays at 6:30 p.m. and Sundays at 10:30 a.m.