New Jersey Senate candidate Curtis Bashaw (R) appeared frozen during a debate with Democratic Rep. Andy Kim on Sunday.
Mr. Bashaw, 63, and Mr. Kim, 42, are each seeking to fill the Senate seat vacated by Democrat Bob Menendez, who resigned earlier this year after being indicted in a political corruption case.
The Republican candidate stopped mid-sentence during a comment about affordability and appeared to stare into space.
Kim, a two-term U.S. congressman who secured his party's nomination by defeating Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy's wife, noticed something strange and was the first to rush in to check on Bashaw.
New Jersey Democratic House candidate says he's 'not really concerned' about having biological males in women's locker rooms
New Jersey Republican Senate candidate Curtis Bashaw appeared frozen during a debate with Democratic Rep. Andy Kim on Sunday. (New Jersey Globe)
Mr. Bashaw told Mr. Kim it was okay, and the Democrat returned to the stage.
The debate then went into a commercial break so I could check in on Bashaw. He left the room after about 10 minutes.
“I think we should probably take a commercial break and address some issues on this stage,” the host told the audience.
Bashaw addressed the issue when he returned to the stage.
Kim was the first to rush in and check on Basho. (New Jersey Globe)
“I realized I wasn't eating much food today because I was so excited about this affordability issue,” Bashaw said. “Then thank you for your patience.”
After the debate, he posted on social media: “Thank you all for your blessings! I campaigned all day and never stopped for a bite. Thank you to all the wonderful volunteers at the post-debate party. I was excited to be able to eat pizza with you all.” tonight! “
Bashaw said in a follow-up post on social media platform X that the pizza had been secured. “Thank you all for your support!” he wrote.
New Jersey Democrats propose bill to create travel advisory to inform pregnant women of state's abortion laws
Bashaw said he had been out campaigning all day and hadn't had a chance to eat much. (New Jersey Globe)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Bashaw's campaign also told Fox News Digital that the Republican candidate is OK and just needs food.
A campaign spokesperson said: “Mr. Curtis is doing well! He has been campaigning all day and has not had a chance to eat.” “He walked off stage, drank a protein bar and a coke, and came back to the debate five minutes later. Even though he hasn't eaten anything all day, Curtis could eat Andy Kim's lunch tonight!”
