Republican Curtis Bashaw's uphill battle to take the New Jersey Senate seat from Democrats may have gotten steeper after freezing during a debate with his contender, Rep. Andy Kim.
The event, which took place on Sunday, featured both candidates as they enter the final month of campaigning. Rather than policy, the highlight took place when Bashaw began slurring words before stopping altogether mid-sentence and freezing.
Kim could be heard asking Bashaw if he was OK, to which he replied "yes." However, he remained there until someone from his team went onstage and took him aside. The moderator then paused the debate while they "addressed some issues."
Republican New Jersey Senate candidate Curtis Bashaw freezes up during debate in what is being called a “medical episode”. He is initially assisted by his Democratic opponent Andy Kim. Bashaw later recovered. pic.twitter.com/42ivDw4Ujf
— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) October 7, 2024
Bashaw returned 10 minutes later and blamed the episode on not eating before the debate. "I got so worked up about this affordability issue that I realized I hadn't eaten so much food today," he said. "So I appreciate your indulgence."
He later took to social media to address the issue: "Thank you all for the well wishes! I was out campaigning all day, and I never stopped to get a bite to eat," he said. "Excited to eat pizza with my fantastic volunteers at the post-debate party tonight!"
A spokesperson later told Newsweek that the candidate is "fine." "He was on the campaign trail all day and didn't get a chance to eat. He stepped offstage and had a protein bar and some Coke and came back to debate five minutes later," the person added.
With the elections less than a month away, Bashaw has been trailing Kim in all polls by mid-to-high single-digits. The latest one, conducted between August 13 and 15 and sponsored by the Republican Party, shows the Democrat ahead by five percentage points: 38% to 33%.
While there are no more recent surveys, it is likely that Kim increased his lead after now former Senator Bob Menendez dropped his independent bid to the Senate in August. The candidates are vying for the seat he held historically after he dropped out following his conviction on federal bribery charges.
He was found guilty of accepting cash, gold bars and other perks from New Jersey businessmen in exchange for official favors that benefited them as well as the governments of Egypt and Qatar. Menendez has vowed to appeal the verdict but resigned from his post nonetheless.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has selected his former cabinet chief, George Helmy, to fill up the seat for the remainder of Menendez's term. He was be sworn in on September 9.
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