Lance, Potosnak to Face Off in First Debate Monday

The two candidates competing to represent most of Union County in Congress for the next two years will be facing off in the first of two debates on Monday morning.

U.S. Rep. Leonard Lance (R-Hunterdon County) and Democratic challenger Ed Potosnak will be appearing on a League of Women Voters moderated debate starting at 11 a.m. The debate will be airing live on the website of the Scotch Plains television station, scotchplainstv.org, starting at 11 a.m.

Potosnak and Lance will be questioned by a small audience given tickets to attend the debate in the Scotch Plains television studio. A tape of the debate will be distributed to local cable stations across the seventh district and live on the Scotch Plains station.

The two candidates will be facing off in a total of two debates, the one in Scotch Plains and one on Wednesday at News12 in Edison.

Lance, a former minority leader of the state Senate, is seeking his second term representing parts of Union, Middlesex, Somerset and Hunterdon Counties. He defeated Assemblywoman Linda Stender (D-Fanwood) after winning a contested seven way Republican primary in 2008. A moderate Republican, Lance defeated three more conservative Republican challengers in the June primary. Potosnak, a former teacher and congressional aide, won the Democratic nomination unopposed.