Transcripts For CSPAN2 Campaign 20240703

The candidateshare the views on universal healthcar a speech and College Campuses and how the political values compare with representative kim. The states primary is scheduled to be held in early june. Hello and welcome to the first debate between the Democratic Candidates for the u. S. House of representatives from new jerseys third Congressional District sponsored by the new jersey globe, on new jersey and rider university. This is a race for the open seat of andy kim who is running for u. S. Senate. We have three of the five candidates are running. Herb conaway and carol murphy. Our panelists this evening are David Wildstein and joey fox at the new jersey globe. In Micah Rasmussen director of the institute at rider university. Now after drop of cards we would have determine carol murphy will go first. Herb conaway book of second and joel joe will get there. Weve gone over the rules about to keep in mind our time want to cover as many topics as possible so we will dive into Opening Statements and i can i tell we have lost ms. Murphy picture scheduled to go first that will come back to her and go to aunt or second person who is herb conaway. He stands by his for his Opening Statement. Dr. Conaway, good to have you. You have 90 seconds. Thanks. Thanks to this body for giving us this opportunity. My name is herb conaway. I was born and raised in berwyn county. My dad and my mom raised us come in my three cities i went on to Public School and then off to princeton and then down to philadelphia to go to medical school at jefferson medical college. I can when it is the service at mcguire air air force base a captain and did medical corps on the base. I was fortunate to become after that i went through residues and internal medicine and was fortunate to be elected to the General Assembly in 1997 taking at the service in 1998. I have been in leadership for most of that time. Ive been sharing the h. E. L. P. Committee and now speaker, and that taken on the big tasks here in new jersey. We have a new funding, i have a Funding Program for middleclass districts. I i worked on Prescription Drugs for seniors. I brought obamacare to new jersey, increased access to healthcare. Gh this election probably the most important in ones life check some of the First Amendment major Party Candidate who said he will be a dictator and will go after our cherished public institutions. And weve seen regrettably that womens rights are under attack here in this country. I have been fighting for reproductive freedom. I am a practicing physician. I know what happens in the exam room. The tough decisions that need to be made. Ive delivered, i talked with but reproductive rights and healthcare. I know politicians have noood business being in the examination room. I ask forne your consideration tonight. This is a historic election for me personally. If elected i will be the first black position to serve in congress in the nation and i will be the first africanamerican to represent south jersey. So i look forward to your questions and was again thankswa for this forum. Our next candidate, joe cohn, for his Opening Statement was to work on those technical issues for ms. Murphy. Jo koy, your Opening Statement. 90 seconds. Thank you. Im joe cohn. Im not a politician. Im a civil rights attorney. Living in southern new jersey for the last 16 years and from my small farm for blasting. Ive advocated for civil rights. During my 20 years as a lawyer for nonprofits like the aids law project, the aclu and the foundation for individual rights and expression come i have one on issues that matter to democrats. Legislators are blue, purple and deep and red. For example, last year i i lea Successful Campaign against of the santas backed bill in florida that wouldve rolled back for you back right. Congress needs people with my civil rights background and my experience building winning coalitions. We simply cannot afford to let the polarization continue because it and a certain former president have placed our democracy in real danger. Enour Civil Liberties like the right to choose on the chopping block. E, to defend our democracy and allr rights we must restore faith in government. It starts by having a congress laser focus on solving our problems rather than exclusively waging culture wars that drive us apart. Our prioritize ensuring all americans have quality, Affordable Health care. Saving Social Security, getting the wealthiest among us to pay their fair share so we can fund universal prek, justin the border, fighting Climate Change and reestablishing a federal right to reproductive freedom. I want to thank tonight sponsors and the moderators and my opponents for sharing the stage with me. I hope to earnin your vote on j. Thank you again. Carol murphy, we have our technical issues ironed out. Over to you for your Opening Statement. [inaudible] first [inaudible] [inaudible] we are still having technical issues with carolav murphy. So what were going to do is we are going to jump to our panelists for the questions. And once we worked that out we will make sure that she gets her time to make a statement. So if panel you are ready. David wildstein, you will be up first. Yo you have a question for mr. Cohn. Yes. You are seeking to replace andy kim as a other u. S. House of representatives from the Third District of new jersey. I know you knew him well. I know you respect him. What positions have you taken or has he taken that you would seek to emulate as his successor, and are there any votes that he has cast or positions he has taken where you dont share that view and wee do Something Different . Kim has big shoes to fill because he has been a fantastic representative for us here in the third Congressional District. What i share most in common with him is our shared commitment to trying to deal do everything we can to build bipartisan support. I admire i thought he did the right thing in voting to approve of the aid to taiwan, israel and the ukraine, while casting the no vote on the bill to ban tik tok. Id share, you know, the same voting record on that. I dont know where he would stand on other Civil Liberties issues that i would advance. So im a big proponent of criminal justice reform, im obviously a big supporter of free speech protections and i thank you for that question. Okay, were going to go mr. Conaway, dr. Conaway your chance for questions. Andy, six years, i voted for him and campaigned for him. I cant say i know everything that he does, i know and in doing and work the work for the people here in the 7th district that i represent, but i know i support him and i know most importantly is i run for Office Meeting people at the door and answering the phone and meeting people in group that theyre for andy and im for andy as well. I think he did a fantastic job in outrich and its been fantastic. I cant think anything off the top of my head i disagree, except maybe on tik tok vote. I listened to a program recently and a welltaken concern about chinas involvement in tik tok. I want to keep tik tok in, i want china out. Thank you very much, doctor. Do we have carol murphy . We do have carol murphy, you have 45 seconds to respond. Did you hear the question, if not i did not. Do you want to repeat it or shall i . I can repeat it. The question youre seeking to replace andy kim in congress. What positions has he taken that you would like to continue if youre his successor and are there any votes you would have voted differently. Thank you for that. First of all, it would be an honor to replace andy kim in congress and work with him as he moves into the senate. I can start off by telling antisemitic bill, i would have voted for that bill and i would also continue moving forward and worked with our congressional delegation to make sure to see that through. One thing i do agree on is the fact that we have to sell tik tok and ban it from u. S. And china should sell that and look, we have to protect our children and we have to continue with andy kim. I know he is a big huge advocate of reproductive rights and thats one thing that we will continue working together on. Thank you very much. To our next question. Mike rasmussen you have a question that will go to dr. Conaway. You are a Public Health official and physician. What is your position on sponsoring universal health care in the house and what do we need to do as far as the National Policy on nursing staff levels and issues that were having . Well, thanks for that question. Universal health care means, as you put it, a Single Payer Health plan then i dont support that. I dont think the American People are ready for a governmentrun health care system. You look to canada and places in europe, particularly england. Every time the government runs into an issue they cut health care. Were dealing with medicare cuts now that could imperil medicare itself and now you want the government, the federal government to control the entire health care system, i dont think the people want that and i dont sport that. If your question means can we do everything we can to advance poor people and im for that. And improving the Health Care Status of our citizens, im all for that. Im for allowing those who are perhaps gapers, i might call them, theyve worked and now waiting for medicare, for them to buy into the Medicare Program and thats important and the other divisions that go to expanding health access, im for health in that federal level. The next response goes to ms. Murphy. Thank you, first of all, i want to say that health care is a human right, it is not a privilege, its a human right and protecting medicare and moving toward universal health care is extremely important, not only for me, but for those in new jersey and i strongly stand with my staffing folks to protect nurses and patients and doctors, and hospitals, to assure that we have a balanced staff that will be able to provide access to health care. Okay. And our next response, mr. Cohn. Well first, i think its important to get as many people insured as we can. Health should not be determined by ones wealth. What i would do, i would make sure that medicare was an option available to all. So not the only option, but would eliminate the age restrictions so that anyone can choose to be on medicare. The next thing that i think we need to do, is control the cost of Prescription Drugs. We need to have for what well get a drug on the list of those that can be negotiated for the price. And with respect to nursing levels. I think we need to provide continue to provide Student Loans for those that go into nursing and do everything we can to encourage better wages for those going into the nursing profession because whether its nursing or longterm care. We have a problem we cant to those jobs. The next question is to murphy. And theres an agenda what is it like in the body that people are retiring in droves. And why could you look to the house than the assembly. Thank you for that and that keeps me moving and invested in what we do, not only in legislation, but my kitsy and the people of new jersey, once we start working together and going to d. C. To be able to continue moving us forward is a huge responsibility that i take seriously. As i go into d. C. , i can tell you right now, ill bring the same tenacity that i bring to trenton, thats continuously working to make sure that we follow our constituents have a way to stay in new jersey and the affordability here. Mr. Cohn, your response. Well, the reason i want to join congress, Congress Needs people who can bring people together. Were having a Real National Security Threat in our country from polarization. Its tearing us apart at every level and we need people with the skill set and the determination to stop treating us versus them where were trying to dunk on our political opponent. I spent the last 20 years of my career in legislatures across the country trying to bring people together to make Real Progress and ive had success, even where republicans have the power and the control. And right now thats what we need more than anything is people who are going to be able to navigate that situation. Herb conaway, you have 45 seconds. Thanks, well, im running because i love my country and my country has given me a lot and i want to serve it. Ive served in the military and raised my hand for the nation and prepared to work for the nation once again. Youre right that and i know im only one person, but my approach has been to speak the mind, the common situation and Common Ground. We have much more in our country that we agree on. A great deal of commonalty. I know im only one person, if there are enough people who are focused on the American People and in the American Peoples interest, then well have a congress that functions the way it should. As a doctor, i do sciencebased factbased politics and thats how ive governed in new jersey and with the same if im in that body. Yes, i think that over any election in new jersey, is George Norcross, a power broker who holds immense sway over democratic politics. If your opinion has mr. Norcross been a force for good in south jersey. Well, listen, i dont know mr. Norcross. What i will say is, we cant continue to have politics go through any person no matter who they are. We need to be in a situation where the voters and the voters alone determine who our leaders are. And thats why i was proud to be amicus on the challenge blind. And why my opponents before the county convention to join me in a statement saying that our race should be handled on an even level. Neither one of them replied and thats why i think that we need to get back to the basics of the grass roots work that brings all of us together. Okay. Carol murphy, you have 45 seconds. Thank you. One of the things that i could say is that being a part of the county, i worked to support jersey and assure that we get our fair share. I can tell you im very independent from the democrats in camden county. It serves me well and gives me the ability to continue being independent from my constituents. But i can tell you this, i was a member of the south jersey delegation. We have worked to pass many good bills for everyone in the state of new jersey, including pay equity, reproductive rights. Those are just a few of the things that we have done as a south jersey delegation. And i stand with inaudible okay. Were going to go to herb conaway, you have 45 seconds to response. The question again was, im sorry . Repeat the question. Joey, would you like me to repeat it or you have it. In your opinion has George Norcross been a force for good in south jersey . Well, norcross has at the head of a thriving business. He has been the driving force behind the expansion of Cooper University hospital which has been a driving force in providing health care for the underserved, not only in camden city, but across the region. And so, he has force was good and i think the answer to that question is yes. Okay. Joey, were going to go back to you now. Back to you now with a question for herb conaway. So one thing that murphy noted was the legislative democratic legislation has passed a lot of bills and one of the things that you three opposed as a bill that significantly hobbles the states open Public Record act so im not going to ask whether you oppose it because i know that all three of you were publicly against it, but do you think there should be consequences for the legislators, the south jersey legislators who did support it . Well, look, the voters are always in the drivers seat and can always decide. Ill leave that to them. The people who took their votes, im sure they took their votes based on the evidence and the facts that were presented to them and i hope looking to the needs of their constituents. I can only say for myself, is that i listen to what my constituents say with respect to that bill and it was overwhelming that my constituents wanted a no vote on that bill and while anything we do in the government can be reformed. This particular vehicle was not so far as my constituents were concerned, not the kind of reform they wanted. So, ill let the voters across the state make past judgment on all of this, on all officials as they should, which is their right in this country. Okay. And joe cohn over to you. I agree with assemblyman conaway that the voters will ultimately have their say and i predict theyll be really unhappy with the members of the legislature who voted to roll back protections. You cant have democracy function well without real meaningful transparency and you dont get meaningful transparency when there arent accessible ways for people to get to court when requests are improperly denied. There is a serious problem, the polling on it shows that voters are angry and i think that theres going to be a lot of accountability for that vote. Its a shame. It didnt have to be that way and hopefully the governor will veto the bill. Carol murphy, you have 45 seconds to respond. Had a little bit of a different spin. While we have to protect our transparency and our documents, the consequences that were going to see, not necessarily with those who voted for the bill because you know what . With pure respect for all of my colleagues, they have a right to vote the way they feel is important for their district and they feel that works for their district. Where the consequences is going to come, its not just this bill, but many other bills that we are going to see over time whether it works or not. Those are going to be the consequences. Its not going to be just because we voted yes or no on this bill. How does this bill stand up to the test of time moving forward and as a person whos been over in the past, i can tell you thats where the true consequence is going to come whether it works or not work. And david, were going back over to you, you have a question for carol murphy. Should Clean Energy Policies depend on the ability to mine essential materials like cobalt and graphite and lithium . My question is, what restrictions should be placed on the supply chain to the United States on cobalt for electric car batteries . In some cases they come from forced child and adult labor in the congo or from ocean floor mining, i think they call it sea bit mining and could disrupt aquatic life and eco systems and still be discovered. Absolutely. So, you know, one of the things that i take great pride in is the fact that ive been a strong supporter and champion for clean energy, clean water and our electric vehicles, and making sure that off shore wind plays a part in our environmental structure, especially during this bad time of Climate Change, which is now a crisis in the United States. For one thing, we should never have slave and child labor. Thats a no. We should never have that. Nor should we have ocean floor mining. Were able to accomplish the things that we need to do, especially during Climate Change, making sure that we have off shore wind. We make sure we have clean water. We make sure we have clean air. Its a right for people to have these clean air and clean water. As we move forward, again, im going to restate we should not have slave or child labor in any of this. And conaway over to you for your response. And we talk about restrictions on vital resources that willpower our climate future. I certainly dont think these taken on a case by case basis we know that innovation is continuing in this space, moving from liquid state batteries, theres solid state batteries for cars at that change the mix of materials that might be vital for that, but we need this for our Energy Independence and delivering a climate thats healthy for the environmental going forward. Of course, no one is for child labor and no one and we have laws on this. We need to respect travel lands, and Natural Resources in the book, but understand this, were going to innovate our way to an economy thats clean and healthy for our environment, and for the world. Its an important responsibility of elected officials to work for the future. Ive been a leader on this, no question and ill continue that if im elected to congress. Joe cohn, you have 45 seconds. If were going to get rid of child labor and slave labor we need to provide the incentive for those that are using those labor sources to eliminate them and that might require the painful act from us of paying higher prices for some of these materials until the innovations that senator conaway mentioned are real and can be used. We have the responsibility to workers to be using the carrot in order to encourage the conditions better for them. But we also need to have Energy Policy that diversifies our Energy Sources and uses as many clean energies as possible. Thats why ive developed a plan to use and put solar panels on every suitable square space of federal buildings and federal parking lots and bloc grants in the government to do the same. Michael rasmussen, youre up next and your question will go to mr. Cohn. This is a question for farmer cohn. The farm bill is still a big deal in Congress Every year. How important is it to bolster whats left of the agriculture heritage and how do you do that in congress with so Much Development pressure around us . Well, i live in part of the district that is a rural street only five minutes away from a suburban area and of course, were just a half hour away from philadelphia. We have to make sure that we keep our open spaces open and we preserve as much as possible. And ill be a voice fighting in congress to make sure that those in the agricultural world arent left behind. You know, you see the bumper stickers all the time, no forms, no food, and its true. So, my view is that its a bill worth fighting for because you know, we cant get the open spaces back once weve developed on them. Okay. The next response goes to herb conaway. Well, youre right, this is agricultural. There are many agricultural spaces across the district and i served on the Agricultural Committee for 10, 12 years and sponsored a number of open spaces and certainly a critical part of what we need to do and a highly urbanized densely populated area such as new jersey, but we have a great farming economy and the government needs to support that and if that means protecting access to water. And protecting the spaces from overdevelopment and preserving open space. We have to preserve the former and thats where that former is, and we need to make sure that they can use every about it of that land they can to maintain themselves while theyre maintaining the forms and make sure that theres a pathway for their families, which we see across the country. So i recognize that we live in a great place. We have farming communities and they all need our support. Carol murphy, over to you, 45 seconds. Thank you. You know what, our Farming Community is extremely important to our economy. It is a key part of our economy, which includes farm conservation. Farm loans to start expansion of our forms. And so investment in our farms and protect our food supply. All of these fall under that bill that has right to farm and thats what we have to constantly remember, if we do not have fresh fruits, fresh vegetables in our Grocery Stores and on our food stands, were not serving our residents well and in congress, i can tell you, i will continue at being an advocate, a strong voice for my farmers here in the county, mercer county. David, youre up next and first question to herb conaway. Some protest over the way, israel and gaza taking over College Campuses across the country and in new jersey. How can the First Amendment rights of students be balanced with the academic concerns and the reputational concerns of the Higher Education institution . Well, lets start with the principles and you mentioned and youre right, we live in a free country with a constitution that says people have a right to free speech and express them selves by protest and organizing themselves to advanced policies in the government and that needs protection. There also is a right of students to go to school in an environment thats safe and to be free from the regrettable rise in antisemitism and islamophobia not just on campuses by the way, but across the country that in my opinion have been spurred by one person whose name is donald trump. One way to deal with the very tense situations and theyre all what weve seen is when this administrations go and try to understand where people are coming from, you know, the book referenced his grandmother and what she said was, i dont look down on someone you dont understand and i think that should understand where people are coming from and work to ease tensions and to find a pathway to allow both peaceful protests, while dealing with those who choose to transgress the law and interfere with access of students to the education they need, to the facilities they need, for their growth and development. Carol murphy, youre next. Thank you. You know, first of all, in part of the First Amendment right, free speech, and our pro protesters are definitely using their voice for free speech. And its also not violence. We should not allow agitators on the campus to continue bringing chaos and violence to the protesters. And i also believe that our campuses, when we come to education, everyone has a right to an education. Everyone has a right to be there. Whether they agree with protesters or not and i believe that there should be a way to be able to live together when there are protests going on that are within our realm of nonviolence and being able to use our voice to get a message across, not just to create chaos and violence. So, with that, i will my time is up. I didnt even have to use my bell. John cohn, youre next. Great to get a question on my area of expertise. Ive spent my career fighting for the rights of students on College Campuses. Let me make thing one thing perfectly clear, a bright line, it doesnt of protect vandalism, property destruction isnt protected at all under the First Amendment. But campus administrators should be allowing as much speech as they possibly can. Have a right to go to School Without any uncomfortable. Without being discriminated against. There have been incidents where students have crossed those lines, access, occupying buildings that they dont have a right to occupy. Students have we have to stop you there. Time is up on that one, i apologize. Thank you. Joey fox, youre up next with a question for carol murphy. Congress itself, of course, has a lot of say over the policy. And this week the house is set to vote on a bill that would override a Biden Administration decision to pause an arms shipment to israel over humanitarian concerns. If you were in the house would you support that bill . To override the administration, the president. Thats a difficult question because i dont know what is in the bill, but i can tell you this, its never, in my former practices to override any president s decision on what is happening on Foreign Policy, especially with the president who has so much experience in Foreign Policy to assure that we are able to continue moving our country and protecting our country and our allies. I would probably be in a position i would not be voting for that bill. Over to joe cohn. Well, im jewish, i support israels right to defend itself. I think its crucial for the United States to back israel and to provide timely support, including timely weapons. I dont have a problem with the Biden Administration withholding a particular weapon if they think its inappropriate for a particular mission because of the amount of damage that it would cause provided they are providing other weapons that they think are, you know, more appropriate for that purpose. I dont know enough about what is being withheld and what is being offered to say how i would vote on the bill, but thats how i would analyze the question. Okay. And over to herb conaway for your response. Well, look, as a doctor im focused on preserving life, but lets go back to the first principles. Since i was in high school i was supporter of the United States involvement in israel, cultural and the United States guarantor of Israeli Security and the israelis have a right to defend hits itself. As a physician i want to see people have a break in the action so that we can move people to safety, food, water, shelter and we need a pathway for hostages to be retrieved. I dont know all the facts as the president does. I join with others getting those facts and asking for a briefing so they can understand what the president knows that we dont know and make a decision accordingly. Next up, david, and a question for mr. Cohn. Some members of the congress from the 3rd district, both parties for decades, have made sure they had seat on the Armed Services committee, that is to protect a major contributor to south jersey, the will you commit right now to seek assignment on the House Services committee to protect that interest for your district . Absolutely. That helped save us some time. [laughter] if thats all you have to say on it, then well go on to carol murphy for your response short and to the point. Making up for time. Ms. Murphy. Thank you. Like joe, absolutely. Thats on my Committee List to pick up. I presently now as an Assembly Woman and a daughter of a u. S. Army master sergeant, i can tell you that i already work on the joint base now with many of my base commanders and the other folks that do work on there. We also, as we move forward Armed Services ive made that same very commitment to many of on the county military Affairs Committee which i am a lifetime member of to continue working with them on many of the military issues that we have going on. Not only here in new jersey, but one the biggest ones we have, also okay, were going to go to herb conaway for his response and we hear there is some feedback and we know were getting it and were working to address that so the audience and those participating in the debate know we are aware of that. Herb conaway, to you. Ive served and treated and in my practice, a number of people who are part of the veterans community. Im a member of a veterans organization. I know how important these bases are to our veterans and to our National Security and i would seek to serve on the Armed Services committee, hopefully they would allow to do so. On the General Assembly i serve on the veterans Affairs Committee and sponsored several pieces of legislation into law that make things better for our military families and with respect to the services that veterans apply to our country. Michael rasmussen, you have a question for dr. Herb conaway, take it away. You voted with south jersey democrats in support of governor Chris Christies proposals to increase the contributions of public employees, including teachers and first responders, as well as their Health Care Benefits and pension. Indeed, when Steve Sweeney collaborated with Chris Christie, you were there in support of those measures. Were you an enabler of some of christys most memorable legislative priorities and do you regret that . I took on Chris Christie in contra distinction to what you just said when he tried to cut planned parenthood. I led the fight to override that veto and cut hurricane for women, particularly women speaking care, and against the administration and so, you know, i dont look, even across twice a day, im not saying hes right on the issue, but to say im an enabler of the Christie Administration ive fought things that are critical, particularly for women in this state. As aphysician, as i said, i understand this, that health care has is about the relationship between the patient and her health care provider, her physician and her family, and i fought for that in new jersey and ill continue to fight for that if im favored with election to congress. And jeff cohn, were going to let you chime in on that. Well, i dont think that collaboration is always a dirty word, but it should never be at the expense of workers. So, you know, we need to make sure that, you know, moving forward, that pensions are protected fully, that no matter what we are doing in collaboration with people we disagree with, that we stay true to our principles of making sure that were fighting constantly for working class people to have what they need, to have affordability of the things that they need for their lives. We need to make sure that the richest amongst us are paying their fair share. That would be my focus moving forward. I would work with anyone to make that happen. Carol murphy, over to you. Thank you, you know what . Im going to answer that question directly. I can tell you one thing when that went down i was working with start greenstein as her chief of staff and stood with her on the streets of trenton when they had the Bulletin Board and microphones, that the chapter is going to hurt our teachers and schools and i stood with her in protest making sure that bill didnt go through, unfortunately it did, but linda greenstein, and myself, who is a senator, she was in monmouth county, and parts of mercer. And we stood fighting and i couldnt have had a prouder moment of myself doing that. Time to let our candidates ask the question of one of their opponents. You have 30 seconds to ask a question. One minute answer and 30 second response. Again, one question to one opponent. Were starting with ms. Murphy. You are first. Thank you. Senator conaway. Youve criticized me for campaigning on identity politics, you stated in the pine tribune, another distinction between me and my chief opponent is my refusal to run on identity politics. Do you mean talking about womens issues as a woman is identity politics . Can you explain what you meant by identity politics, please . What i meant was that, and say that ones sex or ones race should not be the principal driver of a campaign. Simple as that. I am a person of color who represents a majority white district and i have governed in a way that irrespective of sex or race or gender or any other distinction that one might have. So, i meant nothing more than that. Okay. Carol murphy, you have 30 seconds to respond now. Yeah, thank you. You know what . My experience as a woman is relevant and speaking otherwise is why we never have elected a woman into congress from south jersey. And anyone and some women if you think that womens issues and representations are just identity politics, then how can women trust you to protect our items . This isnt trivial. Our rights are being taken away and i will not stop talking about womens rights. Womens rights, talking about womens rights, ive been there and done that and done that in my practice as well as as an elected official and in my defense of equal rights, particularly for women, if im elected to congress inaudible i have dealt with them and i stand second to none in my support for womens rights and equal rights and certainly protecting rights from this attack on their ability to live freely and make their own decisions. Herb conaway, youre next with a question for your opponent. Ms. Murphy, you announced that youre running for congress before you got reelect today the assembly and you announced that you were supporting andy kim and his quest to take a seat in the senate or run for the senate and going you changed your position, and so, i think people are going to want to know when you stand and say i will do such and such, that youre going to actually follow through and do that. So, can the people count on you to stand and dig in for the things that you say youll do or are you going to flipflop when its politically convenient for you to do so . So, please, not to interrupt and im sorry, i thought it would be conaway to joe cohn, as well. Hes a member of our campaign and andy has always supported andy kim. I think the next question if im not mistaken for the rules it supposed to go to joe cohn, please clarify. Do you have a question for joe cohn. That my understanding do you have a question for joe cohn. Thats not my understanding of the rule and i have a question for your format and i dont have a question for joe. Okay, ms. Murphy, do you have anything youd like to stay, another 30 seconds to respond. Ive always supported andy kim, and you know what, when it came to this line i had a meeting with andy kim in december and we had breakfast, we had breakfast in january talking about the idea of making everyone on the same line. Making it possible for the voices to be heard of every single democrat. Ive never flip flopped on my support for andy kim in that effect and every single convention, i went up to him and told him i truly support him. So to be payable to talk about flipflopping is inaccurate, assemblyman. I do support andy kim and ive always supported andy kim and i voted for andy kim. Need the globe, its right there in print. Now were going to move on to joe cohn, you have the next question to carol murphy. Assemblyman murphy, under my plan to help the next generation save for retirement, parents of children age one to five would be able to purchase a u. S. Bond for up to 1,000 each year, that would mature when the child turns 67. At which point it would be worth 248,000 per parent. The parents would get a dollar for dollar credit on their taxes. And let parents do the same and employers whats your plan to help save for retirement . You know, ive been a strong advocate for our pensions, preserving our pensions, preserving our Social Security and make sure that we focus on child care and tax credit while we support the children and the growth that they need. Our children are our investment in the next generation, as we move forward i can only imagine what its going to be like if our Social Security is cut and i read an article and read if donald trump gets elected, that hes going to cut out Social Security. Thats not going to help our future leaders, our future adults and we have to focus on them today in order to preserve tomorrow because our future is uncertain if we dont worry about that and our pensions and our Social Security and all of them are an essential part of our childrens growth in our society. Before we go to our last round of question, joe cohn, you have 30 seconds to respond to that. Yeah, i just think that theres more that we can do. We need to make Social Security solvent. Its absolutely crucial because you know, were going to run out of the surplus by, you know, 2036 and we need to take action to fix that now by raising the cap so that people who earn more income are contributing more into the system, but we need to do more than that, because Social Security doesnt cover enough for people to have real meaningful retirement and thats why im thinking we can leverage time to get money into peoples hands so compounding interest can work for them. We have time for two more questions. And next question for joe cohn. Youve identified protecting the prime lands in priority in keeping with the landmark protections that jim fleurieu first established from the house. What are some ways that a federal lawmakers can have the protections today and what are the needs of the pinelands today that the house can advance . Well, i think that one of the things that we need to do to preserve the pinelands is to make sure that the federal government is giving enough money to Environmental Protection agencies to enforce rules. We need to make sure that we get bloc grants for municipalities to be able to purchase more lands that are open space now for preservation because thats absolutely, you know, critically important and we need to work with all of the local nonprofits like the preservation Pineland Preservation Alliance and others, theyre plugged into what the individual needs are, whether it is deciding whether or not youre going to be doing building in pemberton, or you know, other projects in other parts of the pinelands we need to prioritize making sure from congress that our epa is ready to do enforcement and has the resources and the municipalities have the money to be able to turn away development projects. Herb conaway, youre next. Well, when i was in high school, i actually ran on the pinelands preservation and so i am all about serving that you know what the federal government can do. We have to continue to wage a battle on climate. New jersey is surrounded by the ocean on one side and the river on the other and we need to drive the Climate Policy to lower the temperature and keep the subintrusion from what is underneath the pinelands. Ive led on the infrastructure on Climate Change and by the way, leading on infrastructure for Climate Change and addressing it is jobs, and building the infrastructure, putting people to work and other things that joe said, i agree with what he said, and that will help with the important resource for new jersey. Carol murphy, youre next. Im a strong supporter of the pinelands. A few years ago when we had major fires down in the pinelands, i went with the Agriculture Committee to tour the pinelands and i could tell you, one of the things that i think we need to also focus on is stronger foresty. We have to assure that our foresters and those working and our park police, et cetera, are able to continue keeping our pinelands strong. Our pinelands continue to protect clean air and clean water and its also important for our eco system. Right . And it makes not only south jersey, but also makes new jersey a great place to live because we have those pinelands for people to go and actually, you have some recreations, camping, if we dont have strong pinelands and we dont have strong foresters and strong rules and regulations that protect our climate and our forest and our woods, we will not be successful. Joey fox, youre up for the question for herb conaway. And i havent mentioned tonight and moderators have not mentioned, the rights and abortion and gun control and marijuana and theyre important topics and also topics i think the three of you would largely agree on. So, my question for you, if youre elected to the bitterly divided, currently Republicancontrolled Congress or republicancontrolled house, what would you do to go about implementing your preferred policies on a lot of these really contentious issues . Well, you know, you have to as joe pointed out, you have to know how to deal with people who disagree with you. First, on my tombstone hopefully comes up many years from now, here lies the and i can reason with people that make an argument and type that you dont flipflop on them. On the marriage equality, working to build data sets into our health Data Acquisition so we can understand what is happening with the Lgbtq Community and fought some of the issues around smoking, big tobacco was targeting vulnerable groups, i led on that and i can lead in the congress, my experience, will inform in the congress. And work with people, if youre reasonable with them, you try to understand where theyre coming from, work for Common Ground and commonalty and common values and get things done. Thats what ive been doing and thats what ill be doing. Carol murphy. First of all, i can tell you make any type of policy work and strengthen it, you have to have the investment of those folks with whom it impacts directly and thats what i believe in and thats how i directly come about making my policy, is speaking with those that is directly impacts. Not only that, but as a part of the National Conference for straight legislators that i sat on in the executive committee as well as a cochair with a republican senator from montana, we did talk on the National State and federal policy. We talked about issues and how to resolve them in washington. And talk about these issues that impact all of my folks, not just one class over another. And you know what . Ive worked to get legislation passed in red, purple and blue states through both of these organizations, as well as the National Foundation for women legislators. And i can tell you your time is up. Joe cohn, joe cohn, final thoughts, 45 seconds. Thank you for that question. You know, ive been working on Civil Liberties for my whole career and even before my career as a teenager i was fighting for gay marriage. If were going to make progress on these challenging issues, we need to build a coalition from the reasonable, comes with treating people with respect and talking with them and being patient with them and i had success doing that, especially in states that were where you wouldnt expect it. What i mean by that. Ive had instances where ive talked to legislators on the wrong side of issue and censorship and became my bill sponsors because i talked and listened and treated them with dignity rather than just pointing the finger at them. One much them was the republican chair of wisconsins college and University Committee and subsequently introduced the only bell bill to the best of my knowledge for identity harassment. Were going to end is there with the question and answer. Time to go to closing statements, carol murphy, herb conaway and then joe cohn. Thank you, thank you, david, laura, joey and micah and thank you, herb, and joe for joining us tonight. And the truth is we cannot get swept up in the politics of this primary. Honestly, my greatest concern is taking on trump extremists lining up to take andy kims congressional seat. Thats tilely whats at stake here and we cannot afford to forget it. Were talking about people who believe that women are second glass citizens. People who believe in trumps mission to overturn free and fair elections. People who want to eliminate Social Security, medicare and deny people rights for living wage. The reality is we cannot send one more Marjorie Taylor greene, lauren bobert, and donald trump for this United States. And what is at sake the future of our democracy. We may have debated, but were not enemies, were united in a common purpose and were all fighters in the trump resistance army, nothing more sacred for our democracy than the choice before you and i humbly ask for your vote and promise to make you proud pass your congresswoman. Thank you. Herb conaway. Thank you to the organizers of that debate and thank you, my colleagues, for joining in this discussion. Look, i am my background, once again im the best person to serve this district. My record in public life, my record in my private life of accomplishment puts me in the best position for the seat for the democrats which is critical. I raised my hand and served my country in the military, ive been a leader of the General Assembly working on issues important to people and i fought to preserve seniors income from taxation. I fought to make sure that they can stay in their homes and keep their family together by providing property tax relief. I fought for Prescription Drug access to senior citizens. I bought for Voting Rights. Every bill that comes to that legislature ive either sponsored or sponsored of the john r lewis Voting Rights act. And ill take that to congress if im elected to that body. Ive fought for womens rights, im a physician, i engaged with hard discussions with people about cancer diagnosis or what to do about reproductive rights and i understand how important it is that politicians stay out of the exam room, that the doctorpatient relations a sacrosanct. And needs im proud to be one of the electors in the body. And passed over 300 bills. If you let me go to congress, i will not let you down, im ready to serve go on day one. Joe cohn, final thoughts and statements. I want to thank our sponsors and those tuning in watching the debate at home and my opponents to for joining me tonight. Im running for congress because the country desperately need more leaders who fight for rights and not career politicians. Were not short in supply supply in congress or in this race. I have not been in politics for 20 years. I would be the first a. C. L. U. Lawyer in congress. Were not sending someone to trenton where they run the show. I should be your choice because im the only candidate in the race who has ever won in legislators where republicans have real authority. For example, ive successfully led campaigns to defeat red state bills that would restrict telling women where they could get abortions. In congress, i work tirelessly to build faith in our democracy and our government. Ill do it by building a coalition of the reasonable to address everyday affordability issues like lowering the cost of drugs, capping out of pocket expenses, fixing Social Security. Getting the wealthiest among us their fair share, and tackling the debt from bipartisan support. Ill do everything i can to work together. We need to if were going to save our democracy. I hope youll join me in this fight of americas future by signing up for joe cohn for congress. And ill work my hardest to make you proud of that vote. Thank you so much. Thank you all, that concludes new jerseys debate night i would like to thank the candidates, carol murphy, herb conaway and joe cohn for their too many and responses and thank you to our panelists, David Wildstein, Michael Rasmussen and joey fox, and the institute for Ryder University for this debate. Thanks for cspan for airing the debate and nje spore for sponsoring the debate. Stay tuned after, well talk more and get reaction and insight. Rather, primary day is june 4th, head over if youd like to see the debate again. We thank you for watching. Book tv, every sunday on cspan2 features leading authors discussing their latest nonfiction books. At 8 p. M. Eastern, fox news host Brian Kilmeade talks about the relationship between president Theodore Roosevelt and educator booker t. Washington, his book, teddy and booker t. Then at 10 p. M. After words, jim wallace, the author of the false white gospel argues faith, healing and hope must be used from gospel and watch cspan2, or watch anytim a book tv. Org. Cpan is your unfiltered view of government funded by these Television Companies and more, including wow. The world has changed. Today, the fast reliable Internet Connection is something no one can live without. So, wow is there for our customers, with speed, reliability, value and choice, now more than ever, it all starts with great internet, wow. Wow supports cspan as a public service, along with these other television providers, giving you a front row seat to democracy. We take you live now to the capitol where the senate is about to gavel in. Today lawmakers are considering more of president bidens u. S. District court nominees. Theyll also vote on the housepassed resolution to repeal a sec rule on Banks Holding cryptocurrency access for customers. Youre watching live coverage on cspan2