NJ Republican Closing Gap With Menendez Ahead of Election
What blue wave?
For all the buzz about Democratic sweeps this fall, at least one Republican may buck the trend: Bob Hugin, the right-wing candidate running for Senate in New Jersey against incumbent Bob Menendez.
"People in New Jersey are smart," Hugin said Wednesday in an interview on Cheddar.
Despite trailing his Democratic opponent by up to 17 points at the start of the race, Hugin is now down just six points, according to a poll released by Quinnipiac University [last week](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/senate-race-is-surprisingly-tight-in-new-jersey-bob-menendez-bob-hugin/).
Menendez has taken a hit after battling corruption charges ー his trial ended last year with a hung jury. In June, he received just 62 percent of the primary vote, despite running against a virtually unknown contender. The six-term incumbent maintains his innocence, but many in New Jersey think his political end is near.
"It's just embarrassing for New Jersey," Hugin said. "We were offended morally that this guy was going to run virtually unopposed if we didn't step in and give the people of New Jersey another choice."
Hugin is a former CEO of the drug company Celgene. He was a Trump delegate at the 2016 GOP Convention, served as finance chairman for the president's New Jersey campaign, and donated more than $100,000 to a pro-Trump super PAC. Now, the unlikely candidate in a state that's voted blue in the last seven presidential elections is trying to focus on the issues.
"It's not about party politics," he said. "It's Bob Hugin verses Bob Menendez."
Unlike many of his Republican peers, Hugin is pro-choice, supports marriage equality, and is opposed to offshore drilling.
He also disagreed with Trump's response to Sen. John McCain's death. Initially, the president posted a terse Tweet then recanted, issuing a longer-than-Tweet-length statement praising the Republican late lawmaker a full two days after his death.
"Anybody who disrespects \[McCain\] should be called to task," Hugin said.
"His memory should be revered in all of us."
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/republican-bob-hugin-closes-the-gap-in-new-jersey-senate-race).
David Levine, elections integrity fellow with Alliance for Securing Democracy, joins Cheddar News to discuss Politico's bombshell finding revealing the RNC's plan to contest the elections.
A survey by the BMO Real Financial Progress Index found that 25 percent of Americans are pulling back on retirement contributions to offset the cost of inflation. This comes as market volatility reduced retirement savings with the S&P 500 shedding more than 12 percent this year alone.
As abortion rights take center stage in courts around the country, so do discussions about reproductive health. Signs and social media posts say things like "protect women's rights" and "her body, her choice," leaving others who need and receive abortions completely out of the picture. The potential end to Roe v. Wade would impact far more people and facilities than you may think. Cheddar News' Baker Machado breaks it all down.
Arkansas is planning to reshape itself by putting a strong emphasis on technology through computer science in the classroom. Governor Asa Hutchinson joined Cheddar News Buffa to discuss the state's efforts to promote itself as a future tech hub. “It gives young people such a huge opportunity for success," he noted. The term-limited governor also touched on the issue of gun ownership, offering up the idea of possibly raising the age limit to obtain rifles like the AR-15 to 21 instead of 18 as it currently stands.
The dating app Bumble has sponsored bills and pushed lawmakers to criminalize the online practice of sending unsolicited nudes or “cyberflashing." Payton Iheme, Bumble's head of public policy for the Americas, joined Cheddar News to discuss why the app was going after the harassing behavior beyond its own platform. "Now, while we went to work internally in the company, and we created something called private detector to automatically blur those images so the user can decide if they want to see them, there's nothing for the rest of the internet," she said. "And so that's why we went to work with these laws."
Constituent service platform Indigov recently raised $25 million in a Series B funding round. Indigov bills itself as a constituent relationship management tool that helps elected officials improve the way they organize, respond to, and engage those they serve. The startup's services are being used by federal, state, and local governments across the country, including the U.S. House of Representatives. Alex Kouts, founder & CEO of Indigov, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
