5 Questions With Your 3rd District Candidates, MacArthur And Kim

New Jersey's 3rd District Congressional race in the November general election features Tom MacArthur, the Republican who currently serves in the House of Representatives, and challenger Andy Kim, a Democrat seeking the seat.

The 3rd District represents 36 towns in Burlington County (Beverly, Bordentown City, Bordentown Township, Burlington City, Burlington Township, Chesterfield, Cinnaminson, Delanco, Delran, Eastampton, Edgewater Park, Evesham, Fieldsboro, Florence, Hainesport, Lumberton, Mansfield, Medford Lakes, Medford, Moorestown, Mount Holly, Mount Laurel, New Hanover, North Hanover, Pemberton, Pemberton Township, Riverside, Riverton, Shamong, Southampton, Springfield, Tabernacle, Westampton, Willingboro, Woodland and Wrightstown) and 17 in Ocean County (Barnegat, Beachwood, Berkeley, Brick, Island Heights, Lacey, Lavallette, Mantoloking, Ocean Gate, Ocean Township aka Waretown, Pine Beach, part of Point Pleasant, Seaside Heights, Seaside Park, South Toms River, part of Stafford, and Toms River).

Kim lives in Burlington County and is national security expert who served as an adviser to General David Petraeus. You can read Kim's full bio by clicking here. MacArthur is an Ocean County resident and is seeking his third term in the House of Representatives. You can read MacArthur's full bio by clicking here.

Patch caught up with both Kim and MacArthur, and we asked them the same five questions. Here are their answers:

Patch: Why do you want to represent New Jersey's 3rd District in the House of Representatives?

MacArthur: It has been one of the greatest honors of my life to represent Burlington and Ocean Counties in Congress since 2015. The nonpartisan Lugar Center recently named me among the most moderate and bipartisan members of Congress, because I work against Washington dysfunction and stand up for Burlington and Ocean Counties to achieve real results that help our community.

Kim: I'm tired of corporations and special interests cutting to the front of the line in Washington because of their influence over Congress. When our representative wrote a bill to gut protections for people with pre-existing conditions and was the only NJ member of Congress to vote "Yes" on a tax law that gave corporations a permanent tax cut by gutting SALT deductions for NJ families, he was looking out for corporate donors, not us. I feel it’s time for new leadership and new representation in Washington. I want to be an advocate for this community, and a representative that is willing to work with anyone as long as the outcome works for Ocean and Burlington counties.

Patch: What are the three top issues you intend to fight hard for in Washington if elected?

MacArthur: Washington gridlock has hurt our country, which is why I've worked across party lines to solve problems and get things done. I am always focused on ways to grow our economy and we have seen incredible results with low unemployment, wages increasing, small business confidence at record highs. As co-chair of the Bipartisan Heroin Task Force in Congress, I have been a leader in helping to bring more resources to help law enforcement prevent the flow of drugs and guns in our community, while advocating for those suffering from addiction. I will also continue to focus on securing the future of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, which is on target to receive new planes and construction, thanks to bipartisan efforts I have led in Congress. This is great for our national security and our local economy.

Kim: 40 percent of Americans can't handle a $400 emergency. I want to immediately take steps to lower the amount you pay for prescription drugs. I will protect Medicare and Social Security, and ensure that the needs and health of our veterans, military, and their families are prioritized. And I will fight for middle class tax relief, and work to ensure the economy works for all of us, not just giant corporations, but for working class people and small businesses as well. That's why I refuse to take corporate PAC contributions.

Patch: What experience in your background has prepared you to be an effective leader?

MacArthur: I believe that I have lived the American Dream. After college I fell in love with my first job as an insurance adjuster making $13,000 per year. I worked my way up to eventually become the leader of a company that had 100 employees in two offices. I grew that company to have thousands of employees and 100 offices, while raising three children, with the love of my life Debbie. I have always brought people together towards a common good in my personal life, professional life, and through charitable efforts around the globe.

Kim: As a national security official, I served under both Presidents Bush and Obama, advised four-star generals in Afghanistan, and I’ve coordinated counter-terror operations across the world. I’ve lived by a motto my parents instilled in me as a child, “service isn’t just a job, it’s a way of life.” My commitment to not take a dime from corporate PACs, along with the experience of working across the aisle to get the job done for our country, are the qualities I want to bring to Washington and advocate for members of this community.

Patch: What three words would you use to describe yourself to someone who has never met you?

MacArthur: The three pillars of my life have been family, faith, and service to others. I learned at a young age that I was fortunate to have a loving family and we always worked to give back to our community. I have done my best to live my life in that same sense.

Kim: Honest, Independent, Service.

Patch: How you would describe the current political climate in our country right now? And if you view in a negative light, what steps would you take towards improvement?

MacArthur: My mom passed when I was four years old and I watched my dad work three jobs my whole life to pay off her medical expenses. The mother who raised me was a liberal Democrat and my father was a conservative Republican. We talked politics and religion around the dinner table every night, but we disagreed without being disagreeable. I have seen people in both parties launch personal attacks that are simply unacceptable. Our district has the rare distinction of voting for Barack Obama in 2012 and Donald Trump in 2016. That means for every person who disagrees with me on an issue, there is someone else who agrees with me completely. My job is to represent them both to the best of my ability, and that’s what I will continue to do.

Kim: Washington is clearly broken, and I'm frustrated with what is happening in both parties. I don’t see a plan from either side that will help us tackle the serious challenges we face today. In Washington I want to approach my work as I did in Afghanistan and the Situation Room. I want to work put aside partisan identities to find solutions to the key problems of today. Everything from health care, to taxes, to the opioid crisis should be worked on in a bipartisan way that helps people, not prescription drug companies. We need a steady hand at the wheel in Washington that will work for all of us, and that’s how I plan to represent this community in Washington should people elect me to Congress in November.

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Tom MacArthur and Andy Kim, photos provided by their campaigns