Democrats Square Off In First Full Debate In U.S. Senate Race

The four Democratic candidates for New Jersey's open U.S. Senate seat spent much of their first, and only, televised debate agreeing with each other in a forum that focused on foreign policy and the national economy Monday.

The 90-minute debate was held at the NJTV studios on the campus of Montclair State University and marked the first time all four candidates attended a public forum in the abbreviated campaign for the Senate seat of the late Frank Lautenberg, who died in June.

Newark Mayor Cory Booker is leading the pack by a wide margin in recent polling and in campaign bankroll and has elected to miss several candidate forums ahead of the Aug. 13 special primary election. U.S. Reps. Rush Holt (D-12) and Frank Pallone (D-6) and state Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver (D-34) are Booker’s competition and have criticized him for his absence. Monday’s debate was no exception.

But while the debate was long on talking points for each of the candidates—many of which have been addressed in candidates’ ads or press conferences—it was short on contrast, with a notable exception on education policy.

Holt and Pallone each criticized Booker for his support of school vouchers, saying that siphoning money away from the public school system is exasperating the problem of failing schools, not a solution.

Booker fired back, saying that the veteran congressmen had themselves supported the same kind of voucher system that he endorses.

"For poor kids, below the poverty line, I support school programs to give them a lifeline," Booker said. "I find it interesting that Congressman Holt brought up as a criticism of me. He actually voted for the Washington, D.C., schools' program. He voted for a program similar to mine."

Both Holt and Pallone played up their experience on Capitol Hill as assets. Booker, true to the television ad he unveiled hours before, said that experience hasn’t helped in the past.

"What I think we need is a different experience in Washington," Booker said.

Booker went to great lengths to talk about his experience as a councilman and mayor of Newark, each time punctuating a cooperative effort to bring opposing views together for the benefit of the city.

Booker said he disagreed with Gov. Chris Christie on "almost everything," but the two were able to work together for the benefit of Newark.

Discussion of foreign policy took a good portion of the debate, with candidates giving largely the same answers to questions about China's emergence as a world power, Russia’s promise of amnesty to Edward Snowden – the defense contractor who released classified documents and intelligence gathering by the National Security Agency.

For her part, Oliver stressed the need to remain focused on New Jersey issues and played up her role leading the state Assembly for the past four years. She said it was time that the state’s congressional delegation looked more like the state it represents, where more than half its constituents are women.

"It’s time to break up the old boys network not just in our state but on Capitol Hill," Oliver said.

The debate capped a busy day in the abbreviated campaign season.

Rush Holt on Monday released his first television ad aimed directly at Booker, saying the Newark mayor was "no progressive."

The Booker camp shot back, saying the ad distorts the Booker’s positions while obfuscating Holt's less-than-progressive record.

Booker also announced he will kick off a five-day bus tour on Thursday, stopping in towns of 10 New Jersey counties -- Essex, Hudson, Bergen, Passaic, Union, Middlesex, Camden, Burlington, Mercer and Atlantic – ending on Monday, Aug. 12, the day before the primary election. 

The campaign also released a television ad Monday afternoon. Called "Seat," the 30-second ad features Booker talking about his ability to work with people with opposing views.

The winner of the Democratic primary will square off against the winner of the Republican primary—either Steve Lonegan, former mayor of Bogota or Somerset County physician Alieta Eck—in an Oct. 16 special general election for the Senate seat.