SOUTH JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — The race for U.S. Senate is one of the biggest Election Day contests in New Jersey. Congressman Andy Kim faces hotel owner Curtis Bashaw in the race to replace Bob Menendez, who was convicted of corruption earlier this year.
Kim won a bitter primary over New Jersey first lady Tammy Murphy, and he’s battle-tested after winning congressional races in a district previously held by Republicans. He said one of his key accomplishments is helping to lower the cost of prescription drugs for seniors.
“I want to try to do that for all Americans — get those prescription drug costs down, lower health care costs,” Kim said. “Taking steps to be able to surge the amount of building that we do in our country to try to get our housing prices under control.”
Bashaw isn’t the typical Republican. Though fiscally conservative, he is openly gay and pro-choice. And as a business owner, he wants to bring a different perspective to Washington.
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“We can’t spend our way to prosperity. We have to grow our economy. We have to unshackle our businesses from too much regulation, especially small businesses,” he said. “I started a small business, grew it from 24 to 1,000 employees.”
Both candidates tout their ability to work with others and get things done, albeit with very different life experiences.
Another area of common ground is their civility, which seems increasingly rare in the current political climate. Both offered support for the other during difficult times.
Bashaw appreciated that Kim checked in on him when he got lightheaded during their first debate.
“Just needed a power bar and a Coca-Cola, but it was nice of him to come over and check in with me,” Bashaw recalled. “I’m glad people see that there’s two candidates that want to talk about issues and make a clear distinction and win on the merits.”
Bashaw publicly defended Kim when someone tried to make noise on social media by falsely accusing him of wearing a North Korean flag on his tie. Kim said there’s room for humanity between opponents while also vigorously debating the issues.
“People are just looking for and are hungry for that sense of civility and, frankly, just decency in our politics,” Kim said. “So much of our politics is just people yelling and screaming at each other.”
There are also three local congressional races to watch this year.
In Congressional District 1, Democratic U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross faces Republican Army Capt. Teddy Liddell. In District 2, Democratic entrepreneur Joe Salerno looks to unseat Republican Congressman Jeff Van Drew.
And, Kim had to vacate his seat in District 3 to run for Senate. Democratic New Jersey Assemblyman Dr. Herb Conaway faces Republican cardiologist Dr. Rajesh Mohan for the chance to replace Kim.
Early in-person voting begins Oct. 26. The deadline to apply for a mail-in ballot is Oct. 29.