MT. HOLLY, N.J. – The strongest point of disagreement emerging from Tuesday night’s NJ-03 Republican debate was unsurprisingly who won the clash of candidates.
“Tonight the voters saw for themselves that I am the best Republican candidate to take on Andy Kim in the general election,” said David Richter, the Ocean County-backed contender, adding his opinion that “Gibbs tried to lie her way out of every sticky situation. Unfortunately for her, we have the facts to set the record straight.”
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“Hands-down winner, Kate Gibbs!” opined Assemblyman Ryan Peters (R-8) in a statement released by the Gibbs campaign. “Kate delivered the strongest debate performance tonight. She effectively communicated her record as a tax-cutting Freeholder Director who doesn’t want to be in Congress for a title but to be a true public servant who will deliver for the people of the Third Congressional District. On her tax-cutting record, she was also able to set the record straight on the misinformation David Richter has been spreading.”
Peters and Gibbs served together as Burlington County freeholders between 2016 and 2018.
The remote debate hosted on Facebook Live was moderated by SaveJersey.com Founder Matt Rooney and TAPinto Barnegat/Waretown Editor Stephanie Faughnan. It’s the only scheduled debate between the candidates ahead of the upcoming July 7th primary. The district is arguably New Jersey’s most competitive in 2020; freshman Democrat Andy Kim was elected in 2018 by less than 4,000 votes out of over 300,000 cast.
Voters looking for an obvious point of ideological contrast between the GOP options may have been frustrated or disappointed. Gibbs and Richter spent most of the night agreeing on the substantive questions ranging from abortion and opposition to ‘defunding’ the police to support for a Southern border wall and the Second Amendment.
Disagreements were largely contained to their respective lives – in and outside of the public eye – long before the NJ-03 campaign got underway.
“The issue isn’t being on the beach or the drugs or the shoplifting individually,” Richter charged, referring to a Gibbs’s series of run-ins with the law prior to her entry into public office. “The problem is […] it indicates a pattern of reckless disregard for the law.”
“Let’s be clear. you’ve been now registered to now vote in four different congressional districts in less than 18 months,” said Gibbs. “You’re just desperate to get a title. You’re an entitled rich guy who’s bored and needs validation, and that’s why you’re willing to tear somebody down just so you can have a title.” Richter was considered the frontrunner in NJ-02 before Jeff Van Drew switched parties and Richter subsequently switched districts.
Missed it? Watch below:
https://www.facebook.com/SaveJerseyBlog/videos/728717227946143/?__xts__[0]=68.ARBb8pKinvBN4XBdZvijeLDp6zEzB6UP64gUIAvr273t10v66mE_Q25JBjn3n7SNhwzYfQECG-RsV1ZQBoYGyJhJBLXwT7BORwK8A7Rq1xW3ZwCyVDMo56F9NA-7ftHmeq6C3mt8xJi6UIsWdMjcoqW2Ns62US-2x8VXayILtWCtUvJIAi04sYlm4b2Z-Yg8Kfsv32HpPumtAP98QwrHl461My_hejYo3Pq9EzOcEWy9McYA7kIB3v0_NIOVPeD9yw-OznloAnGiYy3XErVO67t3g1GCUyID_wKFOVBFYtK8mGfUqreTIBJZWnZIwDIPmJRmtRZJG0QTiK9UMnwfwqH0S3IEF6QsVwE&__tn__=-R
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