During the first of two debates in their run for governor, Democratic candidate Barbara Buono squared off with Republican Governor Chris Christie and disagreed on almost everything, CBS News reported.
The first debate took place at William Patterson University on Tuesday evening, opening up with discussion over taxes, spending, and gay marriage as Kristine Johnson of CBS 2 moderated.
With the election being a little less than one month away, Johnson asked Buono why she thought she was trailing behind Christie in polls despite running as a Democrat in a blue state.
"Politics is not supposed to be about entertainment. This is about you, your life and your children," Buono said, as she referred to talk show appearances.
When she was asked about whether she would appreciate help from national Democrats, such as President Barack Obama, she brushed the thought aside and said her focus was on residents of the state.
"I'm focused on the people of New Jersey," she said. "There's only one person that's running for governor here, and you're looking at her."
Johnson then questioned Christie on his use of aggressive language, calling people "jerks" and "idiots," all while endorsing anti-bullying campaigns.
"What the people of New Jersey want is someone who's real, and will tell them the truth as he sees it, and that's what I've done for four years," he said. "And that's what I've done - told them the truth."
Christie argued his language was not meant to be disrespectful.
"Sometimes folks have to know that people who act in a certain way, that they're going to be called out on it," he said.
Eventually both candidates were asked about their position on gay marriage, a topic that was making waves in New Jersey after Mercer County Superior Court Judge Mary Jacobson ruled that the state must begin allowing same-sex marriages by Oct. 21 -- a ruling that the Christie administration plans to appeal.
"I believe that the institution of marriage for 2,000 years is between a man and a woman, and if they're going to change that definition of marriage, I don't think that should be decided by 121 politicians in Trenton or nine judges on the Supreme Court," Christie said on his decision.
Buono, who has an openly lesbian daughter, chided Christie for his position and called his view misguided.
"It's a human right. I mean governor, have a profile in courage and do the right thing for our sons and daughters and our brothers and our sisters," she said. "It is a human right, and this really should not be the one the ballot. We should not have the majority of people deciding the minority's rights."
The rest of the debate included heated arguments over taxes and unemployment rates in the state.
A recent poll conducted by Farleigh Dickinson University showed Buono trailing 33 points behind Christie, although there was only a small difference when it came to female voters.
