Debate Takes Frightening Turn as Senate Candidate Suffers Medical Episode Onstage

A Republican candidate for a U.S. Senate seat from New Jersey had what appeared to be a medical emergency Sunday during a debate.

Curtis Bashaw was debating Democratic Rep. Andy Kim when the former suddenly stopped talking, as he began to weave back and forth.

A post on X shows Bashaw appeared to become faint about 9 seconds into the video.

Curtis Bashaw appears to have medical episode during NJ senate debate pic.twitter.com/w9RBg1WGu1

— Yaddle (@WigShoppe) October 7, 2024

Kim crossed the stage to ask Bashaw if he was OK.

“Yeah,” Bashaw replied with a small smile.

Moments later, as Bashaw looked wobbly, an aide came to hold him by the arm.

At that point, the debate moderator suggested that they take a break.

“I think maybe we need to take a commercial break and address some issues here on the stage,” she said.

Bashaw later returned and said the issue was due to a lack of food.

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! https://t.co/RobZOgo4nP

— Curtis Bashaw (@Bashawforsenate) October 7, 2024

“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!” Bashaw posted on X.·

“Curtis is fine,” a campaign representative said to Newsweek.

The representative added: “He was on the campaign trail all day and didn’t get a chance to eat. He stepped offstage and had a protein bar and some Coke and came back to debate five minutes later.”

During the debate, Bashaw called for sensible immigration policy and strong support for Israel, according to the Bergen Record.

“It’s terrible to demonize any group. We are a land of immigrants. We welcome them. It just needs to be legal, orderly, and the border whole back door needs to be closed. It doesn’t make sense,” he said.

We must secure our border NOW! pic.twitter.com/jwSiBQqhrl

— Curtis Bashaw (@Bashawforsenate) October 7, 2024

In speaking about the Middle East, he noted that, “America doesn’t negotiate with terrorists. Why would we ask Israel to do that? … It’s not showing solidarity with the Jewish community in our state.”

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