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♪ David: hey everybody.

Welcome to Chat Box.

I'm David Cruz.

The full half-hour will be taken up with a special conversation between the two major candidates for the Democratic nomination in the eighth congressional district.

Welcome Mayor Ravi Bhalla and Congressman Rob Menendez.

This is not a debate per se.

We don't have opening statements or timed responses.

We are just going to shoot the breeze with the gents who should be commended for agreeing to the schedule format.

Welcome back to the show.

Good to see you both.

Let's get started.

Tell me one true thing about you that you want more people to know about and one untrue thing that you want to correct about anything.

Coin flip.

Mayor?

You go first.

Mayor Bhalla: OK. One true thing is that I am a family man.

I have a wife and two kids.

My brother is my next-door neighbor in Hoboken.

My parents are also still in New Jersey.

We do things together as a family unit.

I'm not sure if many people know that about me.

One untrue or something I want to dispel is there's been a lot of noise I think in this political cycle, accusations and lawsuits and complaints.

At the end of the day whether it is me or Congressman Menendez, we are all just trying to do the right thing as public servants to improve our communities.

I'm sure the Congressman is trying to do the same thing.

And that noise whether it is negative attacks against each other, what gets lost is you have two good public servants trying to move our community together.

David: one true thing, one untrue thing.

Rep. Menendez: similar to the mayor, I have two young children.

I have a daughter who turned four in April and a son who turned two in September.

It's the greatest honor I have had.

Being a father to young children is challenging given the dynamic of the role.

Working on it every day with my wife.

Today my mom was pitching in to help out.

Having the nuclear support in the household keeps me focused on why I do this every single day whether I'm taking my daughter to pre-k three or spending time with my son.

Thinking about the future of our country and community.

Always focused about thinking through the lens as a father.

Something that gets lost in a lot of this is that family dynamic and I think about my mother and my grandmother's and who I am in this moment.

David: one untrue thing.

Rep. Menendez: I think how I have arrived at this moment in this position.

You will hear people say a lot of unearned things.

I have been dealing with my entire life from the time I was in elementary school, from the time I was in law school and won the alumni senior prize.

There's constantly an attempt to undermine my achievements.

That has continued through this election.

If you look at the support I have now, it is earned support from a wide range of folks from elected leaders to unions and community members.

David: so untrue that you have not earned it is what you are saying.

You two have really made Hudson County proud by the level to which the pugilism has permeated the race.

Has it gone too far and become not constructive?

Mayor Bhalla: I certainly hope -- David: I mean the twitter and all of that.

Mayor Bhalla: I certainly hope it hasn't.

Being on the city Council for eight years, you get used to facing the public and getting yelled at fairly or unfairly.

That's just the nature of Hudson County politics.

In politics unlike the law, I am sure the Congressman will tell you in the law you have predictability, rules and remedies.

They are defined.

In politics, people can manufacture and spin things.

It's a bit more of a wild system.

I hope it doesn't degrade the level of civility and I hope we can put that aside and look at the track records of the candidates and what each has to bring.

They are both unique life experiences.

Both great and admirable experiences.

Take a reflection on that as well as the issues and just decide who is best positioned to serve the community.

David: he says hopefully it's not been unconstructive.

Has it been?

Rep. Menendez: that's for the voters to decide.

I wish we had more of an issues focus.

We have engaged in debates and forms with each other.

We have presented our case to the residence of the district.

We have focused on respective track records.

David: what should people make of these ads that are really angry and loud?

Rep. Menendez: that's why I went to the first question.

Something that's untrue.

One of the ads that was about me said I will rotten to my court -- I'm rotten to my core.

Imagine how that feels to my mother, my sister, my wife.

That's part of it but I'm not going to let anyone define who I am or what we have done in office and that's why we have punched back.

That's why we have tried to level this dynamic to be balanced on the issues and what we have done with our term in office which I'm very proud of and that we don't allow the narrative of who we are to be outside our control.

Mayor Bhalla: when my 12-year-old son sees advertisements that say the mayor is corrupt, the mayor is this.

He doesn't pay taxes.

In his chat group amongst other 12-year-olds, they put that out there and I see my son in distress as a child.

I kind of regret that dynamic.

And I don't blame anyone, but that's a dynamic where when it crosses the line and hits your family and children and they are old enough to understand and they might feel that pressure, I almost feel bad as a father that we have that dynamic.

So as Rob said, we are largely focusing on the issues.

We have had community forums, strong policy debates.

I hope at the end of the day that's what makes the race one way or another is the issue based focus.

Rep. Menendez: one fine point on that, I agree.

But also the mayor had made a decision when I posted a picture of my family and said this is the family who I'm fighting for, he could have left it alone.

He chose to respond on top of that.

So I would say that while I understand and it's a challenging dynamic for both of us, that is something we have to acknowledge but it has not been a one-sided thing.

David: both of you.

The both of you.

Let me stick with you, Mayor.

You say members of Congress to spend most of their time talking and the person to send to Congress is a mayor because they get things done.

But isn't the whole function of Congress to debate?

Why would you want that job?

Mayor Bhalla: the whole function of Congress is not to debate.

I'm sure the Congressman will agree with me.

It's to debate, to liberate and make decisions on important national issues.

Secretary of Transportation Picchu judge -- Pete Buttigieg leaned in on the fact that Washington could use more mayors because we know how to move cities forward and mayors can move countries forward David: it's kind of a square peg in a round hole.

Mayor Bhalla: OK. David: if your expertise as a mayor is to administer and move things around, the whole function of Congress is to blah blah blah.

No offense, Congressman.

But there's a lot of debate and they are not specifically administrating anything is my point.

Mayor Bhalla: correct.

The executive branch and the various departments within the administration administers just like at City Hall in Hoboken and you have the city Council that can debate and say yes or no to what comes before it legislatively.

I think there needs to be more collaboration like we have in Hoboken between the mayor and city Council.

You only here in the newspapers about the things we disagree about, but 90% of the things we all voted on unanimously and that's how you move a city or country forward, by reaching across the aisle and working with people you might be on the others politically.

That's what we can do in Washington.

David: I'm going to bring this up before your opponent does.

Your father Senator Bob Menendez is on trial for some serious charges, corruption, serving interest of foreign governments.

All the Democrats including many who support you now have called for him to step down and have withdrawn their support.

You have not.

If it was anyone else, wouldn't you ask them to step down?

Rep. Menendez: if it was anyone else I would say they have the presumption of innocence and the right to defend themselves in court.

It's a unique dynamic.

I have never hid from that.

We have been on your show before.

We have done interviews.

We have debated.

We have done forums.

I never had from the fact that it's a unique situation.

There is no blueprint.

I don't think there's any sort of natural comparison.

We focused on our race.

That's what I have said consistently.

We have been laser focused not just on reelection but on doing the work every single day even in this homestretch this entire week, we are doing official things.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers yesterday.

The day before with FTA, $80 million making a train station here in New Jersey more accessible.

We have remained focus on what our obligations are to our residents and I would say we have delivered.

David: are you saying voters should understand that he's your dad and what are you expected to cite?

Rep. Menendez: I would say there will be voters who don't understand.

I think a lot of folks have shown me an immense amount of grace and they have let me present my case.

What I have strived to do is present my case and I have never hidden behind a spokesperson.

I have never done anything but be transparent and honest and admit it's a challenging dynamic but we have shown up every single day and engaged directly with constituents.

David: got it.

Should he get a pass because it's his father and what do you expect him to cite?

Let me ask you this.

If it was your father, what would that conversation be like?

Mayor Bhalla: I think the presumption of innocence is something for the courtroom.

When you are a sitting senator.

David: is this the conversation you are having with your data Mayor Bhalla: absolutely.

It compromises your ability to serve your residence while you are in the middle of very serious corruption trial with very serious accusations.

David: you would do that you say he should do, which is to withdraw your support of your father and ask your father to step down from office.

Mayor Bhalla: I would do what I feel is right in my conscience.

I want to make sure I have moral clarity and do what's right for the country and the residents of the eighth district.

If that means telling my father, brother, sister or somebody I love that it's the right thing for them to do for their country to step down, then 100% because I want to make sure my family does the right thing.

If that means stepping aside to make sure we have leadership and representation in Washington, absolutely.

David: the recent attack by Israel on a camp for displaced Palestinians in Rafah.

Many dead, hundreds injured.

My question is, how do you condemn Israel for that without appearing to be anti-Semitic?

Rep. Menendez: We can hold our friends and allies accountable for their mistakes, challenges, things that come up short whether it's in a time of war or not.

This was a catastrophe.

No way around it and that's the truth.

But I would submit to you this.

There has been no more scrutinized military engagement in recent history than the engagement currently by Israel in Gaza.

They are conducting a military operation under an immense microscope and mistakes have been made and that is an unfortunate thing and too many lives have been lost.

That is all true.

Asking an ally to fight to a draw to me is something we would not ask of any of our other allies and have never historically asked of our allies.

It is an extremely challenging dynamic.

We are a strong supporter of the U.S. Israel relationship.

We will continue to hold our ally accountable as they enter the scourge of Hamas in the region.

David: enough of an answer from him?

Mayor Bhalla: I would frame it differently.

I support the Israeli people's right to defend itself and I support the Palestinian people in the right for them to have their own independent state.

Even Benjamin Netanyahu who is a right-wing Israeli politician called that bombing an accident.

There have been way too many so-called accidents that have killed thousands and thousands of innocent lives.

Our job as Americans is not to dictate operational decisions but to make sure that our foreign aid doesn't result in the loss of innocent human lives.

And when we pressure Israel to do the right thing, respect international law, we are doing that out of love for Israel because they are our friends and we want to be a better country.

-- we want them to be a better country.

David: In this role we have to take hard positions all the time.

To say that you support Israel's right to defend itself, up to a point.

Because the mayor has called for a cease-fire.

I'm just curious if he's asking Israel to fight to a draw where Hamas by outlasting this military engagement that you are rewarding them?

David: what is a victory here?

Rep. Menendez: Hamas has always been the challenge.

David: destroy Hamas, that's the victory.

Rep. Menendez: if Hamas wanted to protect civilians, they could have returned the hostages.

They could stop surrounding themselves with civilians.

That is a hard reality.

David: but what's a victory there?

Rep. Menendez: this conflict ends.

And there is a durable and sustainable peace for both Israelis and Palestinians.

Rep. Menendez: that's what he said.

You are saying fighting to a draw.

Does that mean not destroying Hamas?

Rep. Menendez: when people say Israel needs to disengage and to do this and that they are dictating.

He said we shouldn't dictate.

I think the mayor needs to be clear on this issue.

He says two things and his position has changed.

I think each provide clarity.

David: are you unclear?

I'm unclear about how you are unclear.

Mayor Bhalla: my position has been consistent all along.

We need to make sure our friends comply with international law.

David: let me interrupt you so we can move on.

Do you feel that a victory here is the destruction of Hamas?

Mayor Bhalla: Hamas needs to go, but I'm concerned that the actions of the IDF is exacerbating Hamas existence.

David: all right.

Your colleague put up a bill, the antisemitism awareness act which seeks to define what anti-Semitism is.

It includes the consideration of the phrase from the river to the sea as being anti-Semitic.

Is it and should people be sanctioned for using that language?

Rep. Menendez: first about that bill and I will answer the question correctly.

We saw a rise in anti-Semitism before October 7.

We have seen a really challenging environment post October 7.

The act is to broaden the definition so there is a greater ability to root out anti-Semitism.

It's not an infringement on the First Amendment.

It is there are things that from the river to the seat for a lot of people and jews on campus especially is a very dangerous problematic thing to say.

David: there's a lot of dangerous terrible things that people say.

What is the limit to free speech?

Do you think that phrase anti-Semitic and should people be sanctioned for using it?

Mayor Bhalla: people should not be sanctioned for using it, people have a right to free speech.

If someone is offended by that term and they find it anti-Semitic, they should speak their mind.

If two sides have different interpretations.

David: in your mind is it anti-Semitic?

Mayor Bhalla: I'm not in a position to say whether it is because it depends on the context.

It really depends on the context.

David: were you a yes or no on that?

Rep. Menendez: I was a no and I was also against censoring Rashida Tlaib.

What needs to be considered is -- in terms of being a protector of the First Amendment, not many people know this.

When I was outside of my house I got a call from the police department because there was a cease-fire protest outside my house.

I coordinated with the Jersey state Police Department to enable people to protest outside my house.

I voted against the censure of Rashida Tlaib for that comment.

What I am against is anti-Semitism and Islamophobia and any attack on a religious or ethnic group in this country and I would stand up for all of them and I will.

David: let's come back to Jersey.

This turnpike widening project through Jersey City to the Holland Tunnel.

Do you support it, why or why not?

Mayor Bhalla: I do not support it.

I have been very clear that more lay-ins equal more cars, more cars equal more congestion equals more pollution equals more harm to our children.

This is very simple.

This is a complete boondoggle.

They should pull the plug on this immediately.

I have been unequivocal in my stance.

I have written an editorial recently on it.

I have spoken out at public meetings.

This leads to end.

This is anti-environment, anti-environmental justice communities and the governor should pull the plug on this project.

Rep. Menendez: we have been involved in this issue for a much longer time than the mayor has.

The way we have engaged on it is by providing solutions.

To say we can do both, part of this project is the 70-year-old bridge that any engineer figures it could collapse at any point.

David: I feel you circling around the issue to be honest.

Rep. Menendez: I support parts of it.

The bridge is the first part of it.

The widening in Jersey City I have always said is problematic.

I have also said if the state chooses, let's dedicate a lane to a bus rapid transit system.

That doesn't mean that is my vision, but we have to be solution oriented and we provide solutions that think about all of our communities impacted by it because there are communities that want to see the bridge replaced and to see the traffic move.

You understand that trucks idle going West, not East toward the tunnel.

I understand and agree with a lot of the views expressed by people like the mayor.

I also appreciate the views of others who believe in parts of this project.

I have tried to create solutions as opposed to just saying no.

David: give me a quick answer because I have a blockbuster question.

Mayor Bhalla: you can create a bus transit lane and create better infrastructure without widening.

Rep. Menendez: not replacing the bridge is critically important.

Mayor Bhalla: you've got to replace the bridge.

Rep. Menendez: he said the governor should pull the plug on the project.

That includes the bridge.

I can't say -- I can't understand why you say you are for the bridge but against the widening.

Mayor Bhalla: you have to go back to the drawing board.

David: here's a very important question.

I asked it of the Senate candidates and I will ask it of you.

Music, museums or movies?

Rep. Menendez: if I had the time, museums.

I love walking through museums.

Weather here in Newark or in Washington when my family gets to visit.

Right now I would say it is music and movies and whatever my daughter and son want to listen to or watch including I'm a gummy bear which is one of the worst songs that's ever been recorded but both of my children dance to it.

Mayor Bhalla: it's the baby shark of 2024.

David: how about you?

Mayor Bhalla: all of the above but if I had to pick one it would be music.

When I was driving to the studio I was listening to the, Bob Marley, Punjabi music.

Playing at the Prudential Center tonight is like the Taylor Swift of the Asian community.

Just being in the household with my 17-year-old daughter, I have become a swiftly as well -- swiftie as well.

David: You want to name drop a musician you like?

Rep. Menendez: I listen to cowboy Carter like -- a lot because my wife likes it.

David: will you support the other guy if he wins the primary?

Mayor Bhalla: of course.

We don't want to see a Republican in the seat.

CT needs to stay in Democratic hands no matter who wins.

I think our job as Republicans -- excuse me, Democrats is that we keep a Democratic majority in the house.

If Kyle wins, if I win, if Rob wins, all three of us need to support each other.

David: let me see if I can get you with one word because I have 10 seconds.

He says yes.

Mayor Ravi Bhalla, Congressman Rob Menendez, thank you both.

Election day is Tuesday.

We will be watching closely.

Our coverage begins at 8:00 p.m. with hourly updates and then at 10:00 the whole team assembles.

We will go through results and figure out what it all means.

Be sure to join us for that Tuesday starting at 8:00 p.m..

I'm David Cruz.

For the entire crew here, thanks for watching.

We will see you next week.

♪ >> Major funding for Chat Box is provided by NJMEP, a partner to New Jersey's manufacturing industry focused on productivity, performance and strategic development.

More on njmep.org.

Emotional support is provided by insider NJ, a political intelligence network dedicated to New Jersey political news.

Insider NJ is committed to giving serious political players and interactive forum for ideas, discussion and insight.

Online at insider NJ.com.

♪