TRENTON – Sen. Joe Kyrillos, who secured the Republican U.S. Senate candidate nomination Tuesday, called his Democratic opponent, Sen. Bob Menendez, “a mediocre senator” who hasn’t the kind of impact past Democratic lawmakers have had.
He said other Democrats have told him so as he kicked off his post-primary battle against Menendez with a press conference at the Statehouse.
“This is not a lion of the Senate,” Kyrillos said. “This is not Ted Kennedy. This is not Daniel Patrick Moynihan.”
In essentially outlining his platform, he charged that Menendez hardly talks about the most challenging issues facing the country, such as reforming what Kyrillos called the entitlement programs Social Security and Medicare and getting the unemployed and underemployed a job.
Kyrillos, however, said he’s committed to finding out, among other things, “why every part of my IPhone gets made in China” and companies are leaving the state and country.
To find the answers, Kyrillos said he will conduct a jobs tour, with his first stop sometime next week at an Old Bridge company.
“I want to hear from folks why we’re losing jobs in New Jersey,” said Kyrillos, who added he plans to travel to all parts of the state to promote his job creation plan.
While no specifics were laid out, Kyrillos has called for lower taxes and fewer regulations.
