Frightening moment New Jersey Senate candidate freezes up during debate

A debate for a vacant Senate seat in New Jersey briefly turned into a scary situation as candidate Curtis Bashaw froze up for several seconds during what was described as a 'medical episode.'

Bashaw, 63, is the Republican nominee for the Senate seat left empty by the resignation of indicted Democrat 'Gold Bars' Bob Menendez.

The GOP hopeful participated in his first debate against Democrat opponent Andy Kim, a two-term Congressman who beat Governor Phil Murphy's wife to the nomination.

The debate was briefly derailed at the start when Bashaw stopped speaking mid-sentence and stared ahead, nonresponsive.

Bashaw was initially assisted by opponent Kim before he was helped from the stage and left the room for roughly 10 minutes.

'I got so worked up about this affordability issue that I realized I hadn't eaten so much food today,' Bashaw said when he returned. 'So I appreciate your indulgence.'

The Republican explained further in a post to social media after the contest Sunday night.

'Thank you all for the well wishes! I was out campaigning all day, and I never stopped to get a bite to eat. Excited to eat pizza with my fantastic volunteers at the post-debate party tonight!'

He later proved that by sharing a photo of himself with his staffers enjoying a classic Jersey slice.

Bashaw posted to social media: 'Update: [pizza] acquired. Thanks for your support, everyone!'

Viewers at home were a little shocked by the moment.

'Not sure what happened, but New Jersey Senate Candidate Curtis Bashaw just looked like he was about to pass out or perhaps had some sort of medical issue. They just stopped the debate due to it,' wrote one conservative on social media.

Another added: 'I'm not sure what happened but I hope Curtis Bashaw is ok.'

'Scary moment in the Curtis Bashaw/Andy Kim Senate Debate where Curtis is gripping the stand tightly and leaning on it looking like he might fall over, Andy comes over to make sure he's ok,' wrote another.

Kim's assistance was a brief moment of unity during a debate where the candidates often clashed.

Among the most pointed exchanges was over abortion. Both candidates support abortion rights, but Bashaw has said he supported the U.S. Supreme Court's decision that ended Roe v. Wade.

New Jersey has enshrined abortion protections in state law.

'I just fundamentally have a problem with using the term 'pro-choice' to describe yourself when you have talked about the important of the Dobbs decision being correctly decided,' Kim said.

He also hammered Bashaw for his support of Trump, who has twice lost New Jersey's electoral votes.

'The one endorsement that he has made is for Donald Trump to be president of the United States,' Kim said. 'And I guess we get a sense of his judgment from that.'

Bashaw, who defeated a Trump-endorsed rival in the primary, didn't defend the former president explicitly.

'Elections are binary choices, and we all have to make a decision,' he said.

He touted his own candidacy based on his credentials as a businessperson and resisted being typecast as a traditional Republican, pointing out that he backs abortion rights and is a married gay man.

'I am pro-choice, congressman. I am for freedom in the home,' Bashaw said. 'I don't think government should tell me who I can marry. I don't think it should tell a woman what she can do with her reproductive health choices.'

Bashaw hammered on immigration repeatedly throughout, saying it's 'a crisis in New Jersey' and is costing the state.

In a reflection of how Democratic-leaning New Jersey has been in Senate races, which Republicans haven't won in more than five decades, Bashaw addressed his closing statements to women and moms of New Jersey.

'I am a moderate, common-sense person that will work to be a voice for New Jersey,' he said.

Kim first won office to the House in 2018, defeating Republican Rep. Tom MacArthur. He got national attention after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection when he was photographed picking up trash in the building.

Bashaw won a contested primary in June, defeating a Trump-backed opponent. The hotel developer from Cape May is running for office for the first time.

Menendez was convicted this summer on federal charges of accepting bribes of gold and cash from three New Jersey businesspeople and acting as an agent for the Egyptian government . He has vowed to appeal the conviction.

He resigned in August, capping a career in politics that spanned roughly five decades.

Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy appointed George Helmy as interim senator. Helmy said he'll resign after the election is certified so Murphy can appoint whoever wins the election to the seat for the remainder of Menendez's term, which expires in January.