Ask Questions Of Pallone And Challengers In Virtual Forum

MATAWAN, NJ — The League of Women Voters of Monmouth County will host a live "virtual candidates’ forum" June 24 for the three people running for the sixth district Congress seat.

Longtime Democratic Congressman Frank Pallone, who has represented this area of Middlesex and Monmouth County in Congress for years, is challenged this year by two far-left Democratic candidates, Amani Al-Khatahtbeh and Russell "Russ" Cirincione.

The virtual forum will be held Wednesday, June 24 from 7:30 p.m.-9:00 p.m. The virtual link will be available on lwvsmc.org and lwvwesternonmouth.org. People may submit questions in advance for candidates at contact@lwvnj.org with the subject line being “CD6 Virtual” until June 24.

The primary is July 7 and the last date to apply for a mail-in-ballot is June 30.

New Jersey's sixth congressional district stretches from Carteret and Woodbridge into Edison, Metuchen, New Brunswick and down to Asbury Park. It hugs the Bayshore coastline, including towns such as Aberdeen, Matawan, Hazlet, part of Middletown, Atlantic Highlands and Highlands, Sea Bright and West Long Branch. Marlboro Township is also in the district.

Pallone has represented this area in Congress since 1993 and is considered one of New Jersey's leading Democrat voices. He is a regular critic of President Trump.

Both Cirincione and Amani are far-left progressives running in the vein of Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Cirincione describes himself as a "New Deal Democrat," who supports Universal Basic Income ($1,000 a month per adult and $500 per child), the Green New Deal and universal healthcare, in the form of Medicare for All, according to his campaign website.

He is a government housing litigation attorney and 2013 Seton Hall Law School grad.

Al-Khatahtbeh, 27, is a Rutgers grad and founder and editor-in-chief of MuslimGirl.com, a popular news and opinion site about Muslim womanhood in the U.S. She is also a supporter of Medicare for All, student loan forgiveness and says she wants to continue Sanders' movement. Al-Khatahtbeh is also a supporter of the Green New Deal; while at Rutgers, she was part of a student-led movement to push the university to divest from fossil fuels.

She has said she counts Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar and New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as among her role models.

For additional information, contact the League of Women Voters at 609-394-3303 or lwvnj.org and VOTE411.org. The League of Women Voters is a non-partisan, non-profit organization that encourages the active and informed participation of citizens in government. Go to lwvwesternmonmouth.org, lwvgrba.org or lwvsmc.org for information regarding the League.