GOP Senate candidate Curtis Bashaw froze for an alarming stint during a debate for New Jersey’s seat on Sunday.
As he spoke about affordability, Bashaw trailed off and became nonverbal and shaky to the point that Democrat Andy Kim rushed across the stage to ask if he was OK. Bashaw replied “yeah” but still seemed out of it.
Kim began to suggest that Bashaw still needed help and the moderator called for a break “to address some issues here on the stage.”
Bashaw returned to the stage about 10 minutes later. “I got so worked up about this affordability issue that I realized I hadn’t eaten so much food today,” Bashaw said, per The Associated Press. “So I appreciate your indulgence.”
He later wrote about the incident on social media, noting that hunger was to blame and joking about his desire for pizza.
“Curtis is fine!” a campaign spokesperson told Fox News. “He was on the campaign trail all day and didn’t get a chance to eat. He stepped off-stage and had a protein bar and some Coke and came back to debate five minutes later. Even having not eaten all day, Curtis was still able to eat Andy Kim’s lunch tonight!”
Kim and Bashaw are looking to fill the seat following Democrat Bob Menendez’s resignation in July after his conviction on bribery and corruption charges.
Kim averages about a 4-point lead in recent polls.
