U.S. Rep. Andy Kim, the Democratic nominee, faced off Sunday night against Republican candidate Curtis Bashaw in the first of three debates as they challenge for New Jersey’s open U.S. Senate seat.
Kim declared his candidacy in September 2023, one day after former Sen. Bob Menendez was indicted on corruption charges and beat out Tammy Murphy, the wife of Gov. Phil Murphy, for the Democratic nomination.
Bashaw, a real estate developer, has made a name for himself restoring and developing the Garden State, and won the Republican nomination over a Trump-endorsed opponent.
The debate, hosted by the New Jersey Globe, got off to a rocky start when Bashaw appeared to have a health-related episode. Bashaw said it was a result of not eating on the campaign trail. The candidates quickly got back on track, sparring over affordability and the economy.
Bashaw painted Kim as a Washington insider who wouldn’t help middle-class New Jerseyans. Kim hit his GOP challenger on abortion rights, raising doubts about Bashaw’s position as a pro-choice Republican.
Both candidates would be firsts for New Jersey. Kim, if elected would be the first Korean American senator; Bashaw would be the first openly gay senator from the state. A recent Stockton University poll found that although Kim is the better known of the two candidates, both lack significant name recognition in the state and beyond.
