2024 Democrat Primary Election: 3 Senate Candidates Will Debate In NJ

NEWARK, NJ — Three Democratic candidates vying to represent New Jersey in the U.S. Senate will square off in a live debate next week ahead of the 2024 primary election: Andy Kim, Patricia Campos-Medina and Lawrence Hamm.

The debate will take place at 6 p.m. on Monday, May 13 at the South Orange Performing Arts Center, One SOPAC Way. It will be hosted by the ACLU of New Jersey, the League of Women Voters of New Jersey, and Salvation and Social Justice, in partnership with WNYC/New Jersey Public Radio. It will be moderated by Michael Hill, the host of WNYC’s “Morning Edition.”

Tickets are free and open to the public. Registration is required in advance and can be done online here. The event will also be livestreamed on the ACLU of New Jersey’s YouTube and Facebook channels at 6 p.m., and recorded for broadcast by WNYC/NJPR and streaming on www.wnyc.org at 8 p.m. WHYY will broadcast the debate on May 16 at 8 p.m. WBGO will broadcast it on May 19 at 11 p.m.

The debate will include participation from Kim, a congressman in the 3rd District, and Campos-Medina and Hamm – each longtime community activists with Essex County ties. They are each running as Democrats to replace embattled Sen. Bob Menendez in the U.S. Senate.

Earlier this year, Kim, Hamm and Campos-Medina criticized the use of the “party line” in New Jersey’s primary elections – a controversial oddity that now appears headed the way of the dodo after a recent court challenge.

• See Related: Demise Of ‘The Line’: Essex County Politicos React To Landmark Ruling

Hamm and Campos-Medina also criticized their exclusion from a Senate debate held earlier this year, which only included two candidates: Kim and First Lady Tammy Murphy, who has since bowed out of the race.

• See Related: Hamm Ramps Up NJ Senate Campaign, Criticizes Debate Requirements
• See Related: Campos-Medina Denied Entry At Democratic Convention (VIDEO)

Candidates seeking the Republican nomination in the June 4 primary election include Curtis Bashaw, Albert Harshaw, Justin Murphy and Christine Serrano-Glassner. Additional candidates include Christina Khalil (Green Party of NJ) and independents Nick Carducci and Patricia Mooneyham.

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