BRANCHBURG — Former Republican Congressman Dick Zimmer spent most of his time trying to lay claim to the political middle ground, while incumbent Democrat Rep. Rush Holt did his best to paint Zimmer as a right-wing party loyalist.
New Jersey's 12th District congressional seat may be hotly contested, but the campaign's first debate yesterday afternoon offered few surprises.
In a two-hour forum before about 150 people at Raritan Valley Community College in Branchburg, the two candidates covered several major issues of the 2000 campaign: Social Security, campaign finance, tax cuts and education.
Early on, Holt criticized Zimmer's plan to privatize part of Social Security.
"I take a very personal interest in Social Security," Holt said, at which point he asked his 87-year-old mother in the audience to stand up. He said Zimmer's plan relied too heavily on financial markets and would "undermine the basic idea of Social Security."
"Social Security was passed in large part because of a failure of the market," Holt said.
During the debate, Zimmer was eager to highlight his moderate stance on several key issues including the environment and abortion.
"I'm pro-choice," he said. "I believe in limited government, and I think a government that should stay out of people's economic lives should stay out of their personal lives."
Zimmer was happy to announce he had broken ranks with Republicans in the House by voting for campaign finance reform when he was in Congress. He also said he believes the United States should pay its dues to the United Nations — something Democrats have accused Republicans of opposing.
After opening statements and questions from a media panel, the candidates responded to questions submitted by members of the audience.
When the candidates were then given the chance to question each other, Holt asked Zimmer if he regretted his vote for Newt Gingrich as Speaker of the House, subtly accusing Zimmer of being a party-line Republican subject to the control of the House leadership.
Zimmer responded, accusing Holt of straying from the real issues by trying to make Gingrich's legacy a factor in the campaign.
"You're not lucky enough to be running against Newt Gingrich this year," Zimmer said, going on to repeat his moderate credentials.
During the debate, both candidates emphasized their own connections to the University to prove their devotion to education and their serious, academic outlook on important issues.
Holt mentioned several times his previous position as assistant director of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. He said his training as a scientist helped him evaluate issues using "evidence, not ideology."
Zimmer pointed out that after being defeated in a race for the Senate in 1996, he taught at Princeton as a lecturer in the Wilson School.
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