With less than two weeks to go before election day, New Jersey's U.S. Senate candidates have yet to debate one another on television or radio.
And Republican Douglas Forrester, who built his campaign around the ethical lapses of incumbent Democrat Robert Torricelli, is probably remembering that old saying about being careful what you wish for.
Forrester got what he wanted a month too early, when Torricelli dropped out of the race on Oct. 2. Former Sen. Frank Lautenberg has stepped into Torricelli's place, and now leads Forrester by a 52-43 margin, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Tuesday.
After Torricelli's exit from the race, Forrester has tried to focus the election on national defense and domestic security.
He has criticized Lautenberg's repeated votes to reduce defense spending while in the Senate, as well as Lautenberg's vote against the Gulf War.
Lautenberg, who on entering the campaign expressed a willingness to debate "anytime, anywhere," has agreed to two televised debates next week but declined an invitation to take part in a radio debate last night on 101.5 FM.
The radio station decided to turn the hour it had blocked off into a question-and-answer session with Forrester.
"Tonight in our studio is Doug Forrester. Next to him an empty chair. In front of that chair a nameplate that says Frank Lautenberg," said the interviewer by way of introduction.
Topics of discussion during the session ranged from war and the military to Forrester's personal business history.
"If Lautenberg had had his way, Saddam would have been an even stronger threat today," Forrester said.
But questions from the debate's host revealed that Forrester, unlike Lautenberg, never served in the military.
Lautenberg reportedly had planned to attend a fund-raiser in Teaneck last night instead of debating but did not attend the fund-raiser, the host said.
Asked by a station reporter why he had declined the invitation to debate, Lautenberg cited the need to buy television and radio time.
Forrester took advantage of the venue to criticize Lautenberg's decision.
"Mr. Lautenberg has been ducking debates. He has been ducking reasonable questions about his voting record," he said.
During the radio program, Forrester was asked about bills in Congress and the state legislature designed to prohibit discrimination against gay and lesbian people in the workplace, and to confer the benefits enjoyed by married couples on unmarried sameand opposite-sex couples.
Forrester said he wants to focus on the "larger issue" of encouraging marriage and cited a need to "bolster" traditional families, which he said are "under attack."
Forrester's background in business was another topic for discussion last night.
His firm, Benesight, sells health-care benefits to large organizations.
He has accumulated a personal fortune of about $50 million, according to disclosure forms.
Forrester has cast the business in a positive light, arguing last night that his success in business reveals leadership qualities that would make him a good senator.
But critics have noted that he profited from the rising cost of prescription drugs and would not be wealthy if health care were more affordable.
"The kinds of criticisms that have been leveled against my company are baseless," he said.
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