The three Democrats running for New Jersey’s open U.S. Senate seat could all be considered liberals, and they agree on many issues. But there are differences in the details. 

U.S. Rep. Andy Kim (D-3rd), labor advocate Patricia Campos-Medina and activist Larry Hamm have some nuanced positions on foreign affairs and on providing aid in ongoing and potential future conflicts. As among the public at large, there is disagreement among the candidates over United States’ support of Israel, which is continuing attacks in Gaza that have resulted in more than 33,000 Palestinian deaths and a humanitarian crisis and also recently was attacked by and launched a retaliatory strike against Iran. 

The three are running to be the Democratic choice to replace Sen. Bob Menendez. Federal prosecutors in New York say Menendez and his wife Nadine engaged in a scheme from roughly 2018 until 2023 to aid the governments of Egypt and Qatar in exchange for hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of bribery payments. They face years in prison if convicted. 

Menendez, whose federal corruption trial is set to begin next month, has promised to run as an “independent Democrat” in November following what he says will be an acquittal. 

Republican candidates 

On the Republican side of the Senate primary election, four candidates are vying for the nomination. Curtis Bashaw, a hotelier from Cape May, and Mendham Mayor Christine Serrano Glassner have each received endorsements from some Republican county parties. Justin Murphy of Tabernacle is running under the banner American Conservative Republican and Albert Harshaw’s slogan is For the People. So far, Bashaw is the biggest fundraiser and had the most money in the bank at the end of March. 

Primary voters have been sent mail-in ballots but most voters are expected to cast ballots in person on June 4.  

Voters will also choose their party candidates for the November election for the state’s 12 members of the House of Representatives. 

Where Dems differ 

In their first on-air joint appearance on NJ PBS’s Chat Box with David Cruz, the three Democratic Senate candidates each offered a different position on the $95.3 billion aid package to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan just passed by Congress and signed by President Biden. The measure includes $60.8 billion in military assistance for Ukraine; $15 billion for military aid to Israel; $9 billion in humanitarian assistance worldwide, including for civilians in Gaza; and $8.1 billion for Taiwan and other allies in the Indo-Pacific region to guard against potential aggression by China. 

‘Instability abroad, addressing the security issues abroad, are so vital to our ability to be able to provide for our communities, for our state.’ – Rep. Andy Kim 

Kim voted for the bill. Hamm said he does not support sending additional military aid anywhere. Campos-Medina said the United States does have a role to play in world affairs, but she would oppose giving more military aid to Israel. 

“What is our responsibility as the most powerful military in the world to actually hold that partner accountable?” Campos-Medina said of Israel. “We the United States fund the military in Israel, it is taxpayers’ dollars” helping to fund “the genocide in the killing of Palestinians.” 

Hamm said American dollars are better spent meeting America’s needs. 

“We spent $6 trillion on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,” he said. “Will this adventure in Ukraine be another Afghanistan? How many trillions will be spent in Ukraine? … Will we be in Ukraine for 60 years, as we’ve been in Korea? How many times do we have to do this? The United States does not have infinite resources. We cannot continue to spend on the military. We’re almost at a trillion dollars now on the military budget. And at home, we can’t fund our schools. We’re closing our hospitals. We can’t even fix our roads.” 

Kim’s argument 

But Kim said the federal government must get involved because conflicts abroad impact this country. 

“Instability abroad, addressing the security issues abroad, are so vital to our ability to be able to provide for our communities, for our state,” Kim said. “We’ve seen how economic turmoil abroad or conflicts abroad affect us, in the same way it did during the pandemic — affected our economy, affected our supply chain and this is something that I think is very important for us to recognize. And drawing that link … I want to make sure that we have resources for our schools, our communities, that we make sure we’re addressing affordability for our families, but we have to also be able to make sure that we’re addressing the global security, which does affect us here at home.” 

Americans have a responsibility ‘to hold Israel accountable for the violations of international human rights law.’ — Patricia Campos-Medina 

Kim said he supports a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict to try to let diplomatic efforts work and to provide the needed humanitarian assistance in Gaza. 

“We cannot have the kind of access to be able to provide … the food that we need and the other supplies that we need while this conflict is going on,” he said. “I hope that we can have that negotiated element and the diplomatic effort is so necessary right now.” 

Hamm critical of Kim 

Hamm was critical of Kim’s support for the aid package, which does not provide funds to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, the U.N.’s agency working to help Palestinian refugees and said some in Congress are more interested in funding “Lockheed and the other armaments companies” than in truly working for a ceasefire. 

“People are appropriating the language of ceasefire, but they’re not concretely doing anything to make a ceasefire happen,” Hamm said. “If you want a ceasefire, President Biden should call up and say either, ‘Israel, ceasefire, or we’re going to cut off aid.’ Other presidents have done that in the past. It’s nothing new. But we continue to cater to the needs of the military-industrial complex, because that’s what this is all about.”

Campos-Medina said Americans have a “responsibility … to hold Israel accountable for the violations of international human rights law.” 

Kim defended his vote for the aid, saying that being able to include $9.2 billion in humanitarian assistance for those in Gaza, Sudan and other crises was a win, given the “extremist Republican majority” was trying to block any aid. 

“It’s not perfect, but you know, the role of a legislator, having done this work now for nearly six years, yes, we try to make that progress and we can still work hard to try to address these needs and end this violence. But there has to be a recognition of just what we’re dealing with, with such a troublesome and extremist majority,” Kim said. 

‘We cannot continue to spend on the military. We’re almost at a trillion dollars now on the military budget. And at home, we can’t fund our schools. We’re closing our hospitals. We can’t even fix our roads.’ — Larry Hamm 

Campos-Medina criticized Kim for voting to support HR 883, which declares that the slogan “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” is antisemitic and should be condemned as divisive. People have been chanting this at some recent protests calling for peace. The measure passed the house earlier this month with bipartisan support. Of members of New Jersey’s delegation present for the vote, only Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-12th) voted against the bill. 

“Every American has the right to protest and has the right to freedom of speech,” Campos-Medina said. 

Kim acknowledged people’s rights to protest but said “we have to be very careful here when we see this language being used by Hamas, by Hezbollah to talk about how Israel doesn’t have a right to exist.” 

The Chat Box appearance was one of the few featuring all Democratic candidates on the primary ballot. One debate, sponsored by ACLU New Jersey, the League of Women voters and Salvation and Social Justice is scheduled for mid-May, to be aired by WNYC radio.

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