Posted on 05/25/2002 12:33:46 PM PDT by Exit 109
TRENTON - In their last debate before the June 4 primary, the Republican candidates for U.S. Senate yesterday took more shots at incumbent Robert Torricelli while taking stands on stem-cell research and gay marriage.
State Sen. Diane Allen, millionaire businessman Douglas Forrester, and State Sen. John Matheussen appeared in the Trenton studios of WPVI-TV (Channel 6), which will air the hourlong debate at 2 p.m. today.
In previous face-offs, the candidates spent much of the time bashing Torricelli, whose campaign finances were the subject of a three-year federal investigation. The inquiry ended in January without any charges against the first-term Democrat.
Prosecutors gave their material to the Senate ethics committee, and all three Republican candidates have called on the committee to continue its investigation.
Allen started the Torricelli attack early in the debate, saying Republicans need to "take him out."
"We can't afford to have somebody like Torricelli, who is ethically challenged and an embarrassment," the Burlington County legislator said.
Matheussen referred to gifts that Torricelli received from businessman David Chang - who was sentenced Thursday to federal prison for making illegal campaign contributions - and urged Torricelli to set the record straight.
"I bought my own wristwatch and suit, I'm not so sure Mr. Torricelli can say the same," said Matheussen, who represents Gloucester County in the legislature.
Torricelli spokesman Ken Snyder said after the debate that the Republicans were growing more shrill each day.
"It becomes apparent they are basing their campaigns on the word of an admitted and convicted perjurer, and they can't possibly match Bob Torricelli on issues like lowering taxes and making health care and college tuition more affordable," Snyder said.
The candidates also addressed some controversial issues.
Allen said she would reluctantly support research that used human stem cells, which are extracted from embryos and, scientists say, have the potential to lead to cures for diseases.
Matheussen and Forrester, from Mercer County, said they would oppose such research.
"I am against using human beings as guinea pigs in the sense of an embryo," Forrester said.
All three said that they did not support same-sex marriage, but that the issue would be better handled at the state level.
The candidates also said they opposed racial profiling, the practice of using race to target motorists for police stops. Matheussen, who sat on the state Senate Judiciary Committee during hearings on the issue, said he felt confident that New Jersey police were no longer profiling.
The debate appeared to be the final opportunity for the three candidates to distinguish themselves before the primary.
Polls have indicated that the race is close, but Allen and Forrester have raised the most money and received party support.
Forrester has lent his campaign more than $3.1 million, which is part of his annual dividend from BeneCard Services, the Lawrenceville benefits-management firm he has led since 1990.
Allen, a former television anchorwoman in Philadelphia, has spent $204,000 and has $174,000 on hand.
Matheussen has support of the state's leading antiabortion group but has struggled to raise money. His latest finance forms show that he raised more than $121,000 and spent nearly $114,000. He has $7,536 left.
| Stem cell studies and gay marriage lead GOP debate Saturday, May 25, 2002 Differences on same-sex marriage and stem cell research highlighted the third and probably final debate among the three Republican U.S. Senate candidates vying in the June 4 primary for the nomination to challenge Democrat Robert G. Torricelli. The debate, which airs today at 1 p.m. on Channel 7, again saw Republicans Diane Allen, Douglas Forrester, and John Matheussen take turns vilifying Torricelli as unfit for a second term because of a federal investigation into his fund-raising and dealings with donors. Allen and Matheussen, who are both state senators, said they did not think the Constitution should be amended to ban same-sex marriage, as some Republicans in Washington have advocated. Allen said the government should work to make sure there is no discrimination against people because of their sexual orientation. Forrester said he opposed legal recognition of same-sex unions, but thought regulation of the question should be left to the states. He would not say how he'd vote on a constitutional amendment without seeing what the amendment said and how it affected states' rights. Forrester also avoided a direct answer on whether he would vote to ban research on embryonic stem cells, saying only that he was opposed to "using human beings as guinea pigs." Matheussen said he would vote against a ban, while Allen cited her father's battle with Alzheimer's disease and indicated that she supported research. "If we can end Alzheimer's, if we can end juvenile diabetes, if we can end Parkinson's ... then I think we have to move forward. It would be my choice to do it without any further stem cell research, but if we must, I would vote for it," Allen said. The Republicans unanimously attacked Torricelli for voting for a 10-year, $190 billion farm-support bill that they said provided huge benefits to growers of wheat and other commodity crops while offering little help to fruit and vegetable farmers who predominate in New Jersey agriculture. Forrester, a businessman who has financed most of his own campaign, said he could not understand why Torricelli supported the bill until his staff pointed out that Torricelli had received donations from agribusinesses. "We need a senator who will represent New Jersey's interests and not the interests of the Midwest," Forrester said. Matheussen charged that Torricelli "was asleep at the wheel" on the vote, while Allen called it "waste and mismanagement beyond belief." Ken Snyder, Torricelli's campaign manager, said the senator worked with the New Jersey Farm Bureau, "which strongly supported the legislation because for the first time in history it provides specific benefits to protect small dairy farmers." President Bush, whom all three debaters said they support, had urged Congress to pass the bill. Allen, of Burlington County, and Matheussen, of Gloucester County, cited their record of cutting taxes as legislators. Allen rapped Forrester for raising property taxes when he was on the Township Committee in West Windsor, but Forrester said the taxes were needed to build a new sewer system to replace a failing septic system that posed a public health threat. Forrester has the endorsement of party leaders in counties with large concentrations of Republicans, including Bergen and Passaic. He also had the most money going into the end of the campaign. But Allen argued that polls showing her doing the best in a head-to-head matchup with Torricelli, and she said people have told her Torricelli is concerned about facing her. "He says I'm his worst nightmare, and I'm hoping to make his dreams come true," Allen said. Snyder, Torricelli's campaign manager, responded: "Diane Allen has misheard. He said she's new Jersey's worst nightmare." Allen and Matheussen are to meet in one last debate on News12 on Thursday, but Forrester has declined the invitation. On Sunday at 11:30 a.m., Channel 4 will air a debate the three candidates taped earlier this week. 3708101 |
TRENTON, May 24 Ñ Their differences were often slight, but in their third and last debate, New Jersey's three candidates for the Republican nomination to the United States Senate revealed some disagreements on stem cell research and the use of troops to guard a Middle East peace settlement.
While State Senator John Matheussen said he would need more information before he would vote to commit troops, Douglas Forrester, the former mayor of West Windsor, said that "generally speaking," he would support the president in such a deployment. State Senator Diane Allen said she would vote to send troops if the purpose was to stand with Israel and resist terrorism.
"If we don't end terrorism where it is abroad," Senator Allen said, "it is coming back on our shores."
The three Republicans answered questions from a panel of reporters for an hour at the Trenton studios of WPVI Philadelphia, an ABC outlet. The taped debate will be broadcast Saturday on WABC Channel 7 in New York at 1 p.m. and at 2 p.m. on Channel 6 in Philadelphia. The primary is June 4.
Despite the candidates' occasional disagreement, the debate repeated the pattern of their earlier encounters. They agreed on supporting President Bush and standing with Israel, and on criticism of the incumbent, Robert G. Torricelli, a Democrat who is seeking a second term.
All three attacked Mr. Torricelli for supporting the recently passed 10-year, $190 billion farm bill, which was opposed by New Jersey's junior senator, Jon S. Corzine, a Democrat. Mr. Forrester implied that Mr. Torricelli had voted for the bill to please his campaign contributors.
"The fact that Bob Torricelli would vote for a $190 billion farm subsidy bill that will go to agribusinesses in the Midwest is outrageous Ñ absolutely outrageous," Mr. Forrester said. "After all, Jon Corzine voted against it, and I asked my staff, `Why did this happen?' And they plopped down a contributor list."
Ken Snyder, Mr. Torricelli's campaign director, said afterward that the farm bill provided unprecedented amounts of money to preserve New Jersey open spaces, and helped the state's dairy industry.
"The bill was strongly supported by the New Jersey Farm Bureau," Mr. Snyder said, adding that it provided small dairy farmers with a safety net.
The three Republicans agreed that the embargo on Cuba should not be lifted until democracy is given a chance there, and said they would not apply an abortion-rights litmus test to nominees to the United States Supreme Court. They agreed with President Bush's plans to spend more for the military and for a proposed federal program to encourage welfare recipients to marry.
Mr. Matheussen likened research using human embryo stem cells to experimenting on humans. "I absolutely would vote against it," he said.
Mr. Forrester seemed to agree, saying there were better alternatives. But Ms. Allen described how her father had been devastated by Alzheimer's disease, and said that if the research could end that and other diseases, she would support it.
Ms. Allen, who has spent most of her adult life in television, appeared more adept at leaning into the camera and speaking directly into the lens, while Mr. Forrester often looked at the floor in thought, and Mr. Matheussen kept his eyes on his questioner.
As she has in the past, Ms. Allen ventured the only attack on an opponent by going after Mr. Forrester, likening his refusal to release his income tax documents to what she called Mr. Torricelli's failure to come clean on his relationship with David Chang, a businessman who was sentenced on Thursday to 18 months in prison for making $53,000 in illegal contributions to Mr. Torricelli's 1996 Senate campaign.
"We don't need ducking, we don't need hiding Ñ that's what Mr. Torricelli does," Ms. Allen said.
Mr. Forrester, who has put about $3.1 million of his own money into his campaign and is leading in the polls, pointed out that he had filed disclosure forms listing the sources of his income with the United States Senate, as required.
"I really, really don't like any implication that somehow there's any similarity between the kinds of things Bob Torricelli has done and my behavior," Mr. Forrester said.
Debate a launching pad for Torricelli attacks
Allen criticizes Forrester for not releasing tax returns
Saturday, May 25, 2002 BY JONATHAN SCHUPPE
Star-Ledger Staff
New Jersey's three Republican U.S. Senate candidates met in a third debate yesterday that repeated a well-versed, courtly refrain: taxes and Democratic incumbent Robert Torricelli are bad, President Bush is good, and everyone pretty much agrees on all the important issues.
Even the attacks sounded familiar. State Sen. Diane Allen (R-Burlington) called millionaire businessman Douglas Forrester disingenuous for not releasing his tax returns, and untrustworthy for raising taxes as mayor of West Windsor.
Forrester, for his part, said his federal financial disclosure forms, required of candidates, are sufficient, and chided Allen for refusing to release her own tax returns in a state Senate campaign last year. State Sen. John Matheussen (R-Gloucester) stayed out of the fray.
All three showed the most spunk when the subject of Torricelli came up. They said that if they win the nomination on June 4 they would make an issue of the now-closed federal investigation into Torricelli's fund-raising tactics.
The investigation ended in January without charges, and its key witness has been sentenced to prison for obstruction of justice and illegal campaign contributions. But the Senate Ethics Committee is now reviewing the matter. Torricelli has bristled at any mention of the probe, saying questions about it should be directed to federal prosecutors, not him.
"Mr. Torricelli has not told us the truth," Forrester said.
"Robert Torricelli says I'm his worst nightmare, and I hope to make his dream come true," said Allen, a former Philadelphia television news anchor.
Matheussen took aim at allegations that Torricelli took luxury items from a campaign donor.
"I bought my own wrist watch and my own suit, I'm not sure Mr. Torricelli can say the same."
Torricelli campaign spokesman Ken Snyder said in an interview afterward that the attacks rang hollow. "The Republicans have built their campaigns entirely on the words of an admitted and convicted perjurer who is sitting in prison at the moment, which explains why their campaigns are growing more shrill and desperate every day."
Snyder also said Allen's remarks were incorrect. "Diane Allen misheard -- (Torricelli) said she's New Jersey's worst nightmare."
In the debate's sharpest exchange, Allen compared Forrester's refusal to release his tax returns to Torricelli's refusal to answer questions about the investigation.
Forrester shot back: "I really don't like the implication that there's a similarity between the kind of things Robert Torricelli has done and my behavior."
But besides those volleys, the debate reflected the relatively sleepy campaign. The candidates acknowledge that they agree on most issues. Yesterday, for example, the candidates all said they supported:
They also said a Supreme Court candidate's position on abortion isn't a key factor in deciding whether to support their nomination. And they criticized Torricelli for voting in support of $190 billion in farm subsidies -- which was their only disagreement with Bush, who backs the bill.
And the candidates addressed one new issue: gay rights. Asked if they would vote for a constitutional amendment protecting same-sex marriages, Allen and Matheussen said they wouldn't. Forrester said he opposed the idea, but wouldn't say how he'd vote.
Yesterday's hour-long debate will be aired at 1 p.m. on WABC-TV in the New York area and at 2 p.m. on WPVI-TV in the Philadelphia area. A debate taped Thursday, moderated by WNBC-TV reporter Gabe Pressman, will air tomorrow at 11:30 a.m.
Jonathan Schuppe can be reached at jschuppe@starledger.com or (609) 989-0398.
As much as I like Steve, I really can't see him with any fire in the belly.
I do however like Forrester. He seems different. I think he'll do well if people give him a chance.
He's got his values in the right place -- and money to back it up. Values and money in the right order. Torch has money but no values; Mattheusson has values but no money. Diane Allen has neither the values nor the money.
That's how I see the race shaping up.
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