Andy Kim and Tammy Murphy face off in first N.J. Senate debate

By Rebecca Nieves and Allyssa Bovasso-Pignataro
NJ State House News Service

In a mostly civil but occasionally testy debate Sunday night, the two leading Democratic candidates for the U.S. Senate in New Jersey, Rep. Andy Kim and First Lady Tammy Murphy offered up slight variations on policy positions, took aim at each others’ partisan bona fides, and pledged to return integrity to the office.

With incumbent Sen. Bob Menendez facing a federal corruption trial in May and undecided about running for reelection, Kim and Murphy have taken center stage in challenging Menendez — and each other. 

“We are only as strong as our elected leaders,” Murphy said.

It’s about restoring integrity. It’s about trust. It’s about public service,” Kim said.

The most contentious moments in the 90-minute virtual debate hosted by the New Jersey Globe, On New Jersey, and the Rebovich Institute of New Jersey Politics at Rider University came when the candidates challenged each other’s politics. 

Kim criticized Murphy’s six-figure donations to the Republican party, including President George W. Bush, and her being a registered Republican for most of her life. Murphy said she contributed more to the Democratic party over time than she had to Republicans and hadn’t voted for a Republican in two decades. Murphy said the current Republican party has left her. Kim asked her what form of the past Republican party she was okay with. “I would reiterate what I’ve been doing,” Murphy said. “I’ve been a Democrat for 10 years.”

Murphy criticized Kim’s voting record, pointing out that he was one of eight Democrats who backed Trump on immigration and other legislation, though many of those votes were largely procedural. Kim countered that he twice voted to impeach Trump and has run as an anti-Trump candidate in each of his elections. “I will stand up to his legislative attacks,” Kim said.

The candidates spent most of their time highlighting what were essentially minor differences on most policy issues.

Health Care

Murphy called the American healthcare system a moral failure and spoke of her support for the expansion of Medicare. “Healthcare is a right, not a privilege,” said Murphy. While Kim would not concretely endorse Medicare for all, he did express a desire to establish universal healthcare through a wide coalition of resources. “We want to make sure that we get rid of the for-profit system,” Kim said. “We should not have businesses making billions of dollars off of the health challenges that Americans are facing.”

Gun Safety

Both candidates endorsed universal background checks and a ban on assault weapons. Kim expressed concern for his own children attending public schools and having to practice active shooter drills at a young age. Murphy pointed to the role that mental health plays in the rising rates of gun violence. “This is a health epidemic, it has to be treated as such,” Murphy said. 

Climate Crisis

Murphy discussed potential initiatives to analyze local land erosion in the interests of future construction projects. Kim similarly emphasized the importance of analyzing climate effects on weather, the rising sea level, and its impact on the state’s residents. 

Affordability

Kim noted that affordability was the top concern he has heard from residents thus far. He said he has supported legislation that provides financial support to first-time homebuyers. and renters assistance to people who need it. He said the country needs to address fundamental issues about economic inequality. “We live in a time of the greatest amount of inequality in our nation’s history, and we have to be able to fight back against that,” Kim said.

Murphy agreed that New Jersey is an expensive state to live in. She suggested implementing tax breaks for students putting themselves through school. “We have got to give them a lifeline immediately,” said Murphy. Kim expressed the need for Pell Grant amounts to be increased and student loan interest rates to be closer to zero. He also hopes to codify student debt relief into law rather than counting on executive orders.

NJ Transit

Like many residents of New Jersey, Kim said his wife takes NJ Transit to work daily and he thinks that fare hikes discourage transit ridership. “This is the lifeblood of our state. The fare hike will hurt our most vulnerable populations,” Kim said. Murphy did not explicitly state whether she would oppose the fare hikes floated by Gov. Phil Murphy.

Israel-Palestinian Conflict

Kim and Murphy called for the immediate release of hostages in Israel and Gaza, as well as increased humanitarian aid. Murphy said she favors a two-state solution, while Kim called for a bilateral ceasefire. 

Immigration

Both candidates referenced their family histories when discussing immigration. Kim said Democratic party campaigns do not talk about immigration enough, and stressed the need for the party to avoid submitting to the cruelty of Trump and the Republicans. “We need to make sure that the Democratic party does not take on board the vocabulary of Trump and the Republicans,” Kim said.

Murphy said the country must implement comprehensive immigration reform and give a path to citizenship to so-called dreamers, agricultural workers, and construction workers. “We are a country of immigrants and we must treat each other with respect,” Murphy said.

The party-line ballot

Kim repeated his call for ballot reform in New Jersey and asked Murphy to support getting rid of the so-called party-line or county-line ballot that gives much better ballot placement in the primary race to the candidate endorsed by the party in 19 of the 21 counties in New Jersey. Kim said eliminating the party line would make elections fairer, and shift the emphasis to candidates’ merits and experience instead of their political connections.

“We don’t see a fair process when it comes to this Senate race…New Jersey should move in the direction of every other state in America, which is an office block ballot,” Kim said.

Murphy said all of the candidates are working within the same system. “And if there are improvements to be made, then, let’s have the improvements. But right now, we’re in the middle of a campaign, and let’s just move forward with the ground rules as we know them,” Murphy said.

In the end, both candidates agreed that keeping Democrats in control of the Senate is paramount and that Trump poses a threat to democracy.

“I would say Donald Trump has opened Pandora’s box, and we have never been able to get that genie back in,” Murphy said.

Kim said it is important for people in the country to continue to fight for their values and stay engaged.

“The opposite of democracy is apathy, You cannot give into the helplessness and that feeling of apathy,” Kim said.

No other debates are currently planned, though Kim and Murphy said they would welcome them.

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The New Jersey State House News Service is a collaboration by student journalists from Rutgers and The College of New Jersey to cover state government and politics.

Journalist Krystal Knapp of The Jersey Vindicator contributed to this story with supplemental quotes.