"We have 450,000 New Jersey citizens out of work. The jobs you cite from your stimulus program were very, very expensive, adding nearly $1 trillion to the debt of the country," Kyrillos replied.
The second of their three scheduled face-to-face matchups featured lively, free-flowing exchanges sparked primarily by questions called in from listeners to Millennium Radio's 101.5 FM, sponsor of the live, one-hour debate. The third debate will be broadcast Sunday.
The candidates spent several minutes describing how they would help the middle class, but both struggled to define that group.
Menendez said it's families who work hard, have a home, want their children to go to college, and don't want to be one illness away from bankruptcy. Kyrillos said it's "nearly everyone."
Some of their most obvious differences emerged when they were permitted to question each other. Menendez asked Kyrillos about Romney's "47 percent" comment, about the number of Americans who earn too little to pay personal-income taxes, and why Kyrillos voted along party lines to deny $8 million in state funding for women's health centers. Kyrillos asked Menendez whether he would vote differently on the economic strategy the Democrats have pursued and about whether his jobs-creation plan could be accomplished without spending more money or raising taxes.
Menendez summed up the exchange by saying the two may have some similar goals, but they have fundamentally different approaches to accomplishing them.
Kyrillos mentioned former Gov. Jon S. Corzine at least three times during the debate, trying to tie Menendez, whom Corzine appointed to the Senate, to the defeated Democrat.
"Let me bring back [former Republican Gov.] Christie Whitman and the bond issue that exploded state debt," Menendez replied.
Menendez, 58, seeks a second six-year term. His opponent is a 52-year-old commercial real estate broker who chaired Mitt Romney's presidential campaign in New Jersey in 2008. New Jersey hasn't elected a Republican to the U.S. Senate since the 1970s.
Menendez entered the campaign with other advantages over Kyrillos. He is far better funded and has more name recognition among voters. He comes from heavily populated Hudson County, and has President Obama anchoring the ticket.
Kyrillos is from Monmouth County and counts Gov. Christie among his longtime friends. Christie and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush are expected to campaign with Kyrillos this month as he tries to gain traction in a race that has not drawn a lot of attention.
