Vulnerable New Jersey Republican Defends Kavanaugh, Jolting Race

WESTFIELD, N.J. — The deep divide over the nomination of Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh and the emotional testimony of Christine Blasey Ford is jolting a closely watched, tight congressional race in New Jersey.

Rep. Leonard Lance, a five-term Republican who is in a tough fight to retain his district seat in the western part of the state, seemed to cast doubt on Ford’s allegations when he spoke this month to a group of college Republicans at Rutgers University.

“I think Judge Kavanaugh is a brilliant judge, and I tend not to believe the charges,” Lance is heard saying in an audio clip that became part of a digital advertisement released by Tom Malinowski, Lance’s Democratic opponent.

Lance, in an interview, said that his comments had been taken out of context. “I spoke about a minute and I think, what did they use, six seconds?” he said.

He said he had made the comments after Ford’s lawyers initially said she would not testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

“I take the charges seriously,” Lance said. “It’s important that both sides be heard. And that was my point last week. I tend not to believe any person who says, ‘I’m sorry, I’m not going to testify on it.’ As a matter of due process, those who make serious allegations should testify, and the person against whom the allegations have been made should be able to testify as well.”

On Thursday, the Malinowski campaign released the complete audio of Lance’s comments at Rutgers. The congressman says that Ford “may not be willing to testify” and calls it “unfortunate,” but reiterates that he hopes both she and Kavanaugh will eventually decide to testify publicly.

Lance’s comments, which were met with swift condemnation from Democratic officials across the state, including Gov. Philip D. Murphy, threaten to upend one of the closest battles for a Republican-held seat in New Jersey. The district, which voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016 but for Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, the Republican candidate for governor, in 2017, is viewed as a key pickup for Democrats as they seek to retake control of the House of Representatives.

Malinowski, a former assistant secretary of state under President Barack Obama, has proved a daunting challenge for Lance, who has held the seat since 2008. A recent poll from Monmouth University found Malinowski in the lead, though within the margin of error; another poll, conducted by The New York Times Upshot/Siena College, showed the two men were in a statistical dead heat.

Malinowski, in an interview, dismissed Lance’s attempts to qualify his remarks.

“He’s saying he’ll only believe a victim if she’s willing to relive the worst moment of her life in front of the whole world,” Malinowski said. “It’s one thing to say you look forward to hearing from both sides, but to say in advance of any hearing that you don’t believe the victim is exactly the sort of thing that causes so many victims of sexual assault not to come forward.”

The district, which has been represented by a Republican for nearly 40 years, has about 8,000 more registered Republican voters than Democrats. But like the rest of the state, it has a significant number of unaffiliated voters, some of whom said they were dismayed by Lance’s comments, particularly in light of Ford’s testimony before the Senate.

In Westfield, a suburban town that has been reliably Republican but saw a Democratic surge in 2017, Teri Marks, 63, said Lance’s comments underscored her eagerness to vote for Malinowski.

“I thought she was sincere and very credible,” said Marks, a Democrat. “It was obvious to see the pain in her demeanor. If that was an act, she’d win an Academy Award.”

Kelly Hogan, 22, a recent college graduate, said he, too, watched the hearings and was struck both by Ford’s sincerity and the vehemence of Kavanaugh’s denial.

When he heard the Malinowski ad containing Lance’s comments, Hogan, a Republican, said, “If he said that, I guess I would take that into consideration.” But, he added, the November vote was still weeks away, and he would not make up his mind based solely on Lance’s remarks.

Still, he added, “I think to say that without having all the facts is dangerous.”

In Summit, Stefani Morgan, 25, who works with children on sensory issues, said she took a dim view of Lance’s comments.

“For you right off the bat to say, ‘I don’t believe this person,’ you’re disregarding everything in the legal system,” she said. “It’s very nonsupportive to this woman.”

Jenna Arturi, 21, who works with Morgan and also lives in Summit, said the remarks perpetuate the problem of sexual abuse by giving survivors reason to fear that if they speak out, they will be dismissed.

“It makes them think public officials and the government would not support them if they do step forward,” she said.

Arturi said her generation was “definitely becoming more aware” of politicians’ attitudes about allegations of sexual abuse.