MacArthur, Kim Set For Halloween Debate

With the 2018 midterm election less than a week away, constiutents in New Jersey's 3rd Congressional District will get to hear from candiates Tom MacArthur and Andy Kim at last in a debate on Halloween.

The debate, one in a series of debates in key races in New Jersey, is being televised by NJTV, New Jersey's Public Broadcasting Station. All of the debates have been held on Wednesday nights, so the MacArthur-Kim debate is no except.

While the Halloween timing might seem unfortunate, because of families trick-or-treating and because of the Toms River Halloween Parade consuming attention in one of the larger towns in the 3rd District, there are options for those who cannot watch it live, said Debbie Falk, communications director for NJTV.

The debate will be broadcast live on television on NJTV, and also will be available via livestream at NJTVDebateNight.org, she said. In addition, the broadcast will be available on the NJTV YouTube channel (youtube.com/NJTVNews) as well as its Facebook page (facebook.com/NJTVonline), she said.

"The debate will be archived on NJTVDebateNight.org to watch whenever is convenient for constituents," Falk said.

The debate will be one of the few times MacArthur, the Republican seeking his third term in the House of Representatives. Kim, a Democrat, is seeking his first term.

It will be an opportunity for constituents to hear the two speak on the issues after weeks of mailers and negative campaign ads, many of which have been paid for by outside organizations.

The Kim campaign has received support from the House Majority PAC and End Citizens United, which have funded mailers highlighting MacArthur's votes on the tax reform law that was rejected by every other New Jersey congressman. The two organizations also have emphasized MacArthur's work and votes on health care reform, which have been criticized by AARP as increasing the costs for older Americans, as well as undermining protections for those with pre-existing conditions.

The MacArthur campaign, meanwhile, has been supported by the New Jersey Republican State Committee and the Congressional Leadership Fund. Those fliers have made a variety of allegations, from a property tax break he received and later repaid on a Washington DC townhouse to questions about his resume.

Some of them have been very ugly. One targeting MacArthur included a picture of a cage from a zoo and labeled MacArthur a "predator" whose prey was New Jersey's tax deductions. While MacArthur voted for the tax reform bill that has significantly altered property tax deductions, the depiction of him as predatory aniumal is disturbing.

Equally disturbing is the flier that Kim as a "dangerous radical" because he founded a group to oppose President Donald Trump's policies and implied Kim was supporting violence. A look at the website and Facebook page for the group, RISE Stronger, encourages people to contact their legislators, to encourage voting and similar activities.

Only two out of more htan 20 fliers received in the last two months have been positive messages about the two candidates.

The debate may be your best chance to hear what they plan to do, rather than why they think the other guy is bad.

Photos of Tom MacArthur (left) and Andy Kim provided by their respective campaigns.