On October 19, 2023, Stockton University hosted the NJ Legislative District 2 Debates at the John F. Scarpa Academic Center in Atlantic City. John Froonjian, Director of the Hughes Center for Public Policy, moderated the debates. He started the event by welcoming everyone. The Hughes Center and the Press of Atlantic City sponsored the District 2 debates, and Editor-in-chief of The Argo, Liz Myers, and Executive Editor of the Press of Atlantic City, Buzz Keough, were in charge of posing questions to the candidates. The candidates for the Senate debated first and candidates for the Assembly debated afterwards. Each candidate in the debate had one minute to respond to questions and thirty seconds for a follow-up.

The Senate candidates consisted of the Democratic contestant, Caren Fitzpatrick, and the Republican incumbent, Senator Vincent Polistina. The first question was directed to Sen. Polistina by Keough. The question was, if elected, what his legislative priority would be. He responded by appreciating the Hughes Center and Press for organizing the debate and stated that it would be to continue on the progress recorded so far. He declared that Atlantic County has been on track, referencing recent investments, employment, Stockton University, Atlanticare, and more. He also added that one of his main priorities is to see how property taxes can be reduced since they have always been a major point of concern in New Jersey.

Fitzpatrick, on the other hand, responded to the question by saying that increased transportation in Atlantic County is very important to her, alluding to transportation challenges plaguing the county. She also referenced priorities such as continuing to bring a fair share of the budget to Atlantic County, increasing the budget for schools, and investing in ways to get people to move to the county since the county hasn’t experienced much population growth.

Myers asked the next question, which was about climate change – particularly, the building of wind turbines off the Jersey coast. Fitzpatrick was the first to answer the question. She explained that she supports the building of wind turbines not just in the county, but across the state. Polistina’s response was that the cost of energy cannot be increased for consumers; instead, he proclaimed we should consider “producing energy at a reduced cost.” On abortion rights, Fitzpatrick stated that she supports abortion and all women’s healthcare rights. Polistina said he supports women’s healthcare rights, but specified that we must understand that at a certain point, we must realize that there is a life involved – so it is subjective, and people can do whatever they decide with their lives. The candidates discussed other topics, including but not limited to the education system, investments, college education affordability, and property taxes.

A few minutes after 7:00 p.m., the assembly debates commenced between democratic challengers Lisa Bender and Alphonso Harrell and republican incumbents Don Guardian and Claire Swift. The first question, regarding legislative priorities, was directed at Bender. She spoke about increasing income levels to tackle the issue of affordability in the county and to facilitate better transportation. Harrell corroborated Bender’s point, also stating that we need to encourage more people to get into the teaching profession. Harrell also highlighted that mental health services and affordable healthcare are important to him. Guardian, on the other hand, spoke about some of the achievements in his tenure and stated that his focus was on getting better funding for senior citizens and safety; referencing the issue of substance abuse in particular. Swift introduced herself and shared that she plans on bringing more money to Atlantic County and making services more affordable in the area. The candidates shared their plans on other issues, such as climate change, immigrants in the county, and property taxes.

The debate ended at about 8:00 p.m. It was an insightful exercise as the candidates shared their legislative plans.

To watch the full debate, a recording can be accessed here.