NJ Senate Candidates Arranged A Debate, But Wonder If Booker Will Attend
New Jersey voters have already begun sending in their ballots for the November election. Given the state’s status as a blue stronghold, it is unlikely Senator Cory Booker is concerned much about his seat which is up for grabs. For the third party candidates running against him, this lack of apparent concern is unacceptable.
This year, along with Booker and his Republican challenger, Rik Mehta, three other candidates are running for U.S. Senate. Madelyn Hoffman is running with the Green Party and Veronica Fernandez and Daniel Burke are running as independents. Frustrated with the state’s disregard for third party and independent candidates, the three have banded together to boost one another.
On October 14 at 7 p.m., the three candidates will participate in an open debate that they organized together. Moderators from each campaign will ask questions on issues including foreign policy, healthcare, the Green New Deal and campaign finance reform. However the biggest question is whether Booker and Mehta will participate.
In a joint press release put out on October 8, Fernandez spoke about the outsider candidates’ shared desire for Booker to participate in the event.
“We have many troubling issues to be sure, and voters deserve to hear the views and solutions of ALL candidates BEFORE casting their ballots,” Fernandez said. “Voters MUST be informed, and I am challenging Cory Booker to participate in Democracy by participating in a debate.”
According to Hoffman, the candidates’ efforts to organize an independent debate were largely inspired by New Jersey news outlets’ unwillingness to do so. She has described their coverage of the senate race as a “christening” for Booker.
Hoffman recalled reading a recent fluff piece about Booker from Buzzfeed News as a motivator for her.
“It flipped a switch from ‘Yeah I’m upset about this’ to ‘Yeah I’m enraged about this,’” Hoffman said.
Hoffman, who ran as a Green Party candidate against Senator Bob Menendez in 2018, met Fernandez and Burke when they all showed up to file for ballot access on the same day. The three got to know each other and made a commitment to keep in touch and support one another.
Since announcing the debate, the three have been working to get in touch with Booker and Mehta to see if they will join. My colleague, Alie Pierce, has also contacted both major party candidates for comment. So far, neither camp has been responsive.
This would not be the first time this year that Booker passes on an opportunity to debate his challengers. Larry Hamm, a life-long Newark activist, ran against Booker in the Democratic Primary. The two were at one point scheduled to attend a forum together hosted by The National Coalition of 100 Black Women. However, Booker announced the day of the event that he would instead be attending a separate town hall which he had scheduled at the last minute.
Given the Democratic Party’s hold over New Jersey and the lack of coverage of the Senate race, Booker is almost certain to win re-election. However, the debate would provide an opportunity for New Jersey voters to hear different perspectives on the issues that impact their state and their country.
Burke spoke on his desire for voters to have an opportunity to inquire into Booker’s record.
“Senator Booker, representative of a corrupt, warmongering establishment, cannot be allowed to simply float unchallenged into another term,” Burke said. “Our future depends on a genuine accounting for the policies he has imposed on the United States — without a debate, is that possible?”
