MacArthur, Kim Fight For NJ's 3rd Congressional District

As the 2018 campaign season enters its final hours, the 3rd Congressional District race between Tom MacArthur and Andy Kim has been a whirlwind of appearances and stops across Ocean and Burlington counties.

Even as the two make appearances and continue to talk to voters, the messages and the issues remain mostly unchanged from what they were last spring, when the campaign began in earnest.

MacArthur, the Republican candidate, is looking to be elected to his third term. Kim, the Democrat, is looking to unseat him in a district that voted heavily for Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election but voted for Barack Obama in 2012.

The two were the last to square off in a televised debate on New Jersey public television's NJTV, facing off on Halloween. The debate traveled ground that's familiar to anyone who's given more than a passing glance to the multitude of campaign fliers that have flooded mailboxes for the last six months. (You can watch a replay of the debate by clicking here.)

The Kim campaign has focused heavily on MacArthur's votes on tax reform and the attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act; in both cases, MacArthur was the only New Jersey Republican to vote in favor in both cases.

"I stand with New Jersey," Kim said during the debate.

MacArthur criticized Kim during the debate on failing to provide details on how he would address issues such as sustaining Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security and addressing prescription drug prices.

"You can't fix things with gauzy promises," MacArthur said.

MacArthur took aim at Kim over what his campaign has described as puffing up his resume with regard to his service in the federal government. Kim, meanwhile, pressed his criticism of MacArthur's votes on the ACA in connection with MacArthur's prior career in the insurance industry.

Pollsters have said the race between the two is very close. Patrick Murray, the Monmouth University pollster and political analyst, appeared on the NJTV debate broadcast and said the outcome of the 3rd Congressional District race could be a bellwether for how the other House of Representatives races will go.

Watch the debate if you're still not sure to whom you will give your vote.

Patch asked the two five questions earlier hti year. Take a look at their responses. (READ MORE: 5 Questions With Your 3rd District Candidates, MacArthur And Kim)

The 3rd District represents 36 towns in Burlington County (Beverly, Bordentown City, Bordentown Township, Burlington City, Burlington Township, Chesterfield, Cinnaminson, Delanco, Delran, Eastampton, Edgewater Park, Evesham, Fieldsboro, Florence, Hainesport, Lumberton, Mansfield, Medford Lakes, Medford, Moorestown, Mount Holly, Mount Laurel, New Hanover, North Hanover, Pemberton, Pemberton Township, Riverside, Riverton, Shamong, Southampton, Springfield, Tabernacle, Westampton, Willingboro, Woodland and Wrightstown) and 17 in Ocean County (Barnegat, Beachwood, Berkeley, Brick, Island Heights, Lacey, Lavallette, Mantoloking, Ocean Gate, Ocean Township aka Waretown, Pine Beach, part of Point Pleasant, Seaside Heights, Seaside Park, South Toms River, part of Stafford, and Toms River).

Kim lives in Burlington County and is national security expert who served as an adviser to General David Petraeus. You can read Kim's full bio by clicking here. MacArthur is an Ocean County resident and is seeking his third term in the House of Representatives. You can read MacArthur's full bio by clicking here.

Photos provided by the MacArthur and Kim campaigns