Election 2024: Debate between Jeff Van Drew and Joe Salerno

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For an hour, Republican incumbent Jeff Van Drew and his Democratic challenger Joe Salerno debated a wide range of topics, including energy, climate change, immigration, border security, the economy and abortion.

Both candidates are running in New Jersey’s 2nd Congressional District.

The debate, hosted by the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton University and the Press of Atlantic City, had no audience at the request of the Van Drew campaign.

Ron Filan, Van Drew’s campaign manager, told the press that not having an audience was “the most appropriate solution” since the congressman has “literally hundreds of active death threats against him.”

The debate was broadcast live to the public.

Here are three key takeaways from Thursday night’s debate:

Salerno calls Van Drew a “lackey”

Beginning with his opening statement, Salerno called Van Drew a “lackey of his new political party,” citing the incumbent’s party switch in 2019.

“He had made a deal with Washington insiders and traded independence for hits on Fox News,” Salerno said.

Salerno used the phrase at least two other times, including when Van Drew claimed that the Inflation Reduction Act allocated millions of dollars to “study the gas that comes out of the rumps and mouths of cows.”

“Wow, I watch Fox News too,” Salerno said.

Politifact found that cattle are the world’s No. 1 source of agricultural greenhouse gases, with most methane emissions caused by “cow burps.” Additionally, any cattle projects would represent only a small fraction of the $8.5 billion allocated over four years for all types of agricultural conservation.

Energy, energy, energy

Van Drew elaborated on energy: nuclear, solar and “some fossil fuels, like clean gas.” Like most Republicans in South Jersey, Van Drew opposes offshore wind energy as an option for South Jersey.

“Wind energy can be good, maybe on land or somewhere else,” he said. “It harms our environment. It hurts our fishermen. It will hurt the ratepayer. If you think you’re paying high interest now, you’re paying more than ever before.”