Newstalk Florida – N

MONTCLAIR, N.J. — Four New Jersey Democrats running for the U.S. Senate seat of the late liberal Democrat Frank Lautenberg are debating for the first time in the abbreviated campaign.

Though they have similar views, some differences immediately emerged Monday.

Newark Mayor Cory Booker and state Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver talked about striking a balance between privacy rights and intelligence gathering, while Congressmen Rush Holt and Frank Pallone took harder lines against intelligence agencies gathering data on citizens.

The party primary is Aug. 13. Two Republicans also are running. The winner of the Oct. 16 election will fill the remainder of Lautenberg’s term.

Democrats challenged GOP Gov. Chris Christie’s decision not to schedule the special election on the same day as the November general election. A court ruled in Christie’s favor.

Source: Associated Press