Curtis Bashaw, the Republican candidate for New Jersey’s U.S. Senate seat, appears to have briefly become “ill” during a debate with Democratic Representative Andy Kim on October 6th.
While answering questions, the 62-year-old gay hotelier became slurred and stopped speaking mid-sentence. Kim asked if he was okay. “Yes,” Bashaw replied.
Mr. Kim asked Mr. Bashaw’s team if they wanted to support the Republican, at which point a Bashaw campaign staffer appeared on stage and grabbed Mr. Kim’s arm. Meanwhile, debate moderator Laura Jones paused the debate for a commercial break to “address some issues,” sparking speculation on social media about what happened.
According to new jersey globeBashaw returned to the podium after being checked out by paramedics and first responders and resumed debate. He later blamed the incident on not eating.
“I realized I wasn’t eating much food today because I was so excited about this affordability issue,” he said. “Then thank you for your patience.”
He also addressed the issue of X, writing: I was out campaigning all day and never stopped to eat. I can’t wait to eat pizza with all of our amazing volunteers at tonight’s post-debate party!”
when approaching newsweek Regarding Bashaw’s condition after the debate, a spokesperson said: “Curtis is fine. He has been campaigning all day and hasn’t had a chance to eat. He came off stage and had a protein bar and a Coke. He returned to the discussion five minutes later.
The two candidates will face off in the general election on November 5th. They are seeking the seat vacated by Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez, who resigned in August after being convicted on federal bribery charges.
Kim, who served three terms in the House of Representatives, decided to challenge Menendez for his seat following the senator’s indictment last year. Menendez narrowly fended off a tougher-than-expected challenge in 2018, but ultimately decided to run as an independent. Earn a spot on the general election ballot.
Mr. Kim and Mr. Bashaw have argued over a number of issues, with Mr. Bashaw comparing Mr. Kim, who won two of the three elections in districts where Mr. Trump won at the presidential level, to the average New Jersey candidate. They are trying to portray themselves as more left-wing than voters.
Meanwhile, Mr. Kim is trying to paint Mr. Bashaw as a horse to pursue the radical right-wing social agenda that Senate Republican leadership will push in the next Congress.
In the debate, the two sides clashed over reproductive freedom, with Kim arguing that Bashaw supports abortion rights but supporting the Supreme Court’s ruling overturning a landmark abortion rights case, and that ideological criticized for being contradictory. Roe vs. Wade.
“I have watched Mr. Bashaw make decisions about who will be the next president, so I am concerned about his ability to make decisions about who will be on the Supreme Court,” Kim said.
Bashaw has become a moderate by eschewing support for former President Donald Trump and emphasizing more liberal stances on social issues, including his business history and support for what he calls “family freedom.” tried to sell himself to voters.
“I don’t think the government should be telling me who I can marry,” he said. “I don’t think this article should be telling women what they can do when it comes to their reproductive health choices.”
He later added, “I’m a moderate and a common sense person, so I’ll serve as a voice for the state of New Jersey.”
The controversial nature of the race, which was closer than expected, first surfaced last month when the statewide LGBTQ rights group Garden State Equality endorsed Kim, who is straight, over Bashaw. That’s what I did.
At the time, Bashaw’s campaign accused the group of engaging in “partisan politics.” However, the group said that Mr. Bashaw’s support for LGBTQ rights is limited to gay rights, particularly same-sex marriage, and that Mr. Bashaw’s support for transgender rights, particularly issues related to transgender youth, is limited. It seems to suggest that enough is enough.
Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
