Sen. Cory Booker debated his longshot challenger from South Jersey. They mostly talked about Trump.

Democratic Sen. Cory Booker took to the stage Thursday for a debate with Justin Murphy, the South Jersey Republican mounting a long shot campaign to unseat the well-funded incumbent.

They mostly talked about President Donald Trump.

Murphy, a former Tabernacle committee person who calls himself a Reagan Republican, unsuccessfully sought U.S. House nominations in 2008 and in 2010 — with Tea Party backing — and for Senate in 2024. The Burlington County attorney has little chance in the Nov. 3 election against Booker, a prolific fundraiser and former mayor of Newark who has served in the Senate since 2013 and could pursue the presidency for a second time in 2028.

As of June 30, Booker raised more than $33 million while Murphy raised just over $27,000.

There are nearly 865,000 more Democrats than Republicans in New Jersey. The state’s electorate, as of June, includes 38% Democrats, 35% unaffiliated voters, and 25% Republicans.

The debate, which was hosted by the New Jersey Globe and Rider University and broadcast nationally by C-SPAN, lasted about one hour.

The moderators focused much of their questions on Trump’s policies. Booker criticized congressional Republicans, who he said have “enabled” the president. Murphy, on the other hand, praised the current economy — a stark contrast to Democrats’ messaging this campaign season.

The two candidates were mostly civil, shaking hands and posing for a photo before getting started. Booker, who is bald, made a couple of jokes about Murphy’s voluminous head of hair.

The most raucous part of the debate was when audience members erupted during both Booker and Murphy’s remarks about the state’s sanctuary policy for immigrants.

Here are the highlights.

Murphy supports Trump but said he’s not a “blind rubber stamp.” He admitted he is not well-versed on Trump’s cabinet picks or the Epstein files.

When asked about Trump’s cabinet members, the Republican said he trusts the president’s judgement but that he doesn’t know enough about them.

“I don’t know about their backgrounds. I couldn’t name them all for you right now,” he said.

“You’ve gotta be honest,” he added.

The Republican also said his knowledge is limited on the Jeffrey Epstein files, in which Trump is referenced thousands of times. Trump lobbied against releasing them to the public until it was clear he didn’t have enough support from his own party. Murphy said he supports the law that required the files to be released with redactions and exceptions — and supports an overall increase in transparency around them.

Booker had fierce criticism of the president on both subjects.

The incumbent said he voted for some of Trump’s appointees for his first term but the second time around, “something happened where it suddenly seemed like the standard he was creating for a cabinet position was loyalty to him.”

He said the Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein files was an example of Trump’s White House working to protect the president from valid inquiries “and as a sword to go after anybody that criticizes him.”

As for the Iran war, Murphy defended Trump but also said the president should wrap it up.

“Mr. President, put your cowboy hat on and get out there, and kick some ... and get this done and done right,” he said to cheers from supporters.

Booker responded that Murphy’s attitude is precisely the problem, calling it a “false bravado.”

“We do not need yahoo policy,” Booker said. “We need sound people that use military force as a last resort, who know the power of diplomacy, who don’t insult your enemies and threaten to invade Canada and Greenland, but pull our allies together.”

Sahmya Smith, a Rowan student and Passaic County voter, asked the candidates how they would address the racial wealth gap in New Jersey driven by home ownership disparities.

Booker touted bipartisan housing efforts including a new housing law and opportunity zones, the second of which he said resulted in affordable housing construction in Atlantic City.

“For me, as a guy who was the mayor of Newark, New Jersey, a majority minority city, we were able to double the production of affordable housing during the last housing recession we had in 2008, 2009, it’s something that I feel is really urgent right now,” he said.

He said that Trump’s trade war with Canada is driving up building costs.

Murphy said the best way towards home ownership “is being gainfully employed with low interest rates.” He said the Republican Party is providing the opportunity for the American Dream and that the country, referencing statistics from the Census Bureau that found that the median household income reached a historic high in 2025 since tracking began in 1967 and the poverty rate is the lowest it has been since tracking began in the 1960s.

That being said, the bureau also found that income inequality remained high, and the supplemental poverty measure — which considers non-cash benefits like food aid and household expenses — reached an all time low in 2021 under former President Joe Biden, AP reported.

“We continue to empower people through economic empowerment and betterment,” Murphy said, citing tax relief on tips, overtime, and Social Security benefits. He also noted that there should be more housing supply.

New Jersey’s Immigrant Trust Directive, known as the state’s sanctuary policy, limits state law enforcement’s cooperation with federal immigration officers. Booker said the policy made immigrants feel more comfortable contacting law enforcement to report crimes, but that people feel unsafe again because of ICE immigration sweeps directed by Trump.

“My first priority is keeping New Jersey towns, municipalities, and cities safe, and to do that, I believe the policies of our state are good in keeping bright lines between what is a federal responsibility and what is a county and state and local responsibility,” he said.

Someone off camera shouted that they had to “butt in” and verbal chaos erupted with shouts from the audience.

Murphy said sanctuary policies “are a magnet for criminal illegal aliens,” even though “not every illegal alien is in this country to do us harm.”

“Sanctuary jurisdictions are a problem. They incentivize illegal immigration, and I don’t believe they help our state stay safe,” he added.

As he elaborated on his stance, another interruption erupted from the audience. Murphy responded by saying his position is “not xenophobia.”

Murphy recently received heat from Democrats for comments he made at an August town hall hosted by the Morris County GOP, saying “Islam creates a problem” in response to a question that mentioned a “big Muslim problem.”

Booker at the time called Murphy’s remarks “vile.” Murphy told Politico he intended to reference “radical Islam” and not all Muslims.