Curtis Bashaw (R) vs. Andy Kim (D)
This is a different kind of contest. There was a telling point in the debate when they were asked to identify a member of the other party that they could have seen themselves voting for. Bashaw named Joe Manchin. Kim named Mitt Romney. It is no accident that both of these guys are retiring from the Senate.
The first debate in this race was made a bit more interesting because Bashaw appeared about to faint a few minutes into the debate. He says he had failed to eat enough that day. They took a short break and nothing much else was said about the event.
Curtis Bashaw
As we know, it takes a different kind of Republican to win in New Jersey. No Republican has been elected to the U.S. Senate from New Jersey in 50 years. Curtis Bashaw is a different kind of Republican. He is pro-choice to the point that he would buck his party to support national legislation to codify Roe v. Wade. However, he does oppose ending the filibuster, so the likelihood that he would have to honor that promise with a vote is slim. He sounds very Trumpian with respect to the border, but he opposes mass deportation and favors a path to citizenship for some. He supports strong background checks, the Affordable Care Act, a higher minimum wage, and, by-the-way, he is gay and married. Sadly, he has endorsed Donald Trump, although Trump endorsed someone else in the Republican primary. America First Republicans, a New Jersey MAGA group, has condemned Bashaw. So far the only Republican Senate candidate, that I know of, who has not endorsed Trump is Larry Hogan in Maryland, so it is hard to make that the sole criteria for opposing a candidate.
Andy Kim
Andy Kim is a pretty typical left of center Democrat, who was a member of the Progressive Caucus in the House, but he has managed to win in a congressional district that Trump won twice.
On Abortion
As noted above, Bashaw says he is pro-choice. He did favor the Dobbs decision. That is a defensible position, although not one I favored. He, also, apparently said that he opposes action at the federal level to restore these rights legislatively. He now says he would favor federal legislation, but he opposes abandoning the filibuster rule. All of this is defensible but, if you really care about women’s reproductive rights, Kim is your candidate.
On the Economy
Bashaw favors lower taxes and less regulation. Pretty typical stuff for a Republican. Both use the usual, irrelevant, talking points about inflation and the economy. I have yet to see a candidate who acknowledges that, absent a massive recession, we are unlikely to see prices return to the levels that prevailed pre-covid. The U.S. economy is actually doing fairly well given the challenge of the Covid pandemic. Certainly, we are the envy of the G10 in terms of economic growth and employment. I don’t understand why Democrats fail to note this. Partly, I guess it’s because the general public is mad as hell about higher prices and want some kind of miracle that will return price levels to pre-pandemic levels. Partly, I think the Democratic Party wants to use the issue to push other policy agendas like child care tax credits, and subsidies for health care and housing. These proposals may or may not have some merit, but they have nothing to do with combatting inflation. The key to combatting future inflation is the independence of the Federal Reserve Board. Harris has promised to defend this, Trump has said he wants a role in monetary policy. Bashaw has endorsed Trump.
On Foreign Policy
Both support Israel and Ukraine. Bashaw criticizes the Biden administration’s freeing of $6 billion of frozen Iranian assets, as part of a prisoner exchange, as enabling the funding of terrorist organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah. Putting party aside, I am not sure this issue favors either candidate.
To Endorse or Not?
I have passed on offering an endorsement in other races where neither candidate was acceptable. This case is different. There are things I like about both of these candidates. Kim seems like a serious person who has a depth of experience and knowledge that most congressmen lack. I particularly like his support for legislation that would limit the ability of members of Congress to invest in individual stocks.
Bashaw seems like a nice guy. He lacks the relevant experience, but his impulses seem well grounded. I think if he had rejected Donald Trump, like Larry Hogan in Maryland, I would endorse him.
I am going to take a pass on this race. Not because neither candidate is acceptable, but because they are both acceptable.