Bob Hugin in 2018 NJ Senate race
On Abortion:
Pro-choice, but no late-term abortions unless maternal risk
Q: Abortion: Mostly ban or mostly legal?Robert Hugin (R): Legal. "Pro-choice." Opposes late-term abortions unless life of mother is at risk.
Robert Menendez (D): Legal. "Strongly support a woman's right to choose." Cosponsored bill preventing
medically unneeded restrictions.
Q: Contraception: Can employers withhold contraceptive coverage if oppose it?
Robert Hugin (R): No stand found.
Robert Menendez (D): No. Women have the right to affordable contraceptive services.
Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on New Jersey Senate race
Oct 9, 2018
On Civil Rights:
Supports gay marriage
Q: Support gay marriage?Robert Hugin (R): Yes.
Robert Menendez (D): Yes.
Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on New Jersey Senate race
Oct 9, 2018
On Drugs:
Decriminalize pot in small amounts but not recreational use
Q: Legalize or decriminalize marijuana?Robert Hugin (R): Decriminalize small amounts but opposes recreational legalization.
Robert Menendez (D):
Urged administration to respect state laws & submitted bill to study states that have legalized. Supports giving pot businesses access to banking services.
Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on New Jersey Senate race
Oct 9, 2018
On Education:
Supports expanded charter schools
Q: Help parents send children to private schools with public money?Robert Hugin (R):
No stand found, but supports expanded charter schools.
Robert Menendez (D): No. They drain money from public schools.
Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on New Jersey Senate race
Oct 9, 2018
On Energy & Oil:
Climate change is human-caused, but Paris Accord is unfair
Q: Consider human activity the major factor driving climate change? Limit or tax production of greenhouse gases? Support US participation in Paris Climate Accord despite President Trump's withdrawal?Robert Hugin (R): Mixed. "Climate change is real.
Humans play a role." Also gave $500,000 to Heritage Foundation, which rejects the significance of human-caused climate change & opposes regulations to address it. Says Paris Accord "unfairly balanced." Didn't support it as written.
Robert Menendez (D): Yes. "[W]e, as a global community, have to cut our greenhouse gas emissions & the US must be at the forefront of that effort." Called withdrawal from Paris Accord a rejection of science.
Q: Support government subsidies or
support for renewables?
Hugin: Mixed. Supports research in areas like battery technology, but not direct subsidies that pick winners & losers.
Menendez: Yes. Has supported expanding renewable energy credits by cutting oil company tax breaks.
Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on New Jersey Senate race
Oct 9, 2018
On Environment:
Protect our environment in a way that's fair to businesses
Q: Support cutbacks in Environmental Protection Administration (EPA)?Robert Hugin (R): Unclear. "Will encourage the President to enter into agreements that protect our environment" but are fair for American taxpayers & businesses.
Robert Menendez (D): No. "Will not sit idly by while this President & his administration undermine the integrity of our agencies."
Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on New Jersey Senate race
Oct 9, 2018
On Free Trade:
In the end, tariffs will get a better deal with China
Q: Support President Trump's imposition of tariffs on Chinese steel & other products?Robert Hugin (R): Yes. "In the end, we're going to get a better deal with China."
Robert Menendez (D):
No. They drive allies "into the arms of our adversaries" instead of addressing China's economic policies.
Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on New Jersey Senate race
Oct 9, 2018
On Gun Control:
Expanded background checks; bar people with mental illnesses
Q: Support more restrictive gun control legislation? Restrict semi-automatic weapons?Robert Hugin (R): Supports some measures, including expanded background checks & barring people with mental illnesses.
Robert Menendez (D): Yes. Supports universal background checks & closing gun show loopholes. Voted for assault weapons ban.
Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on New Jersey Senate race
Oct 9, 2018
On Health Care:
Lobbied to block cheaper generic alternatives
Q: Corruption: Scandals being discussed for both candidates.Robert Hugin (R): The pharmaceutical company that Hugin led, Celgene, spent $2.8 million lobbying to block cheaper generic alternatives to a key drug. Celgene also paid $280 million to
settle claims that its drug marketing defrauded state & federal health programs.
Robert Menendez (D): Charged for allegedly doing political favors for a donor. Prosecutor dropped charges; Senate committee then "severely admonished" him.
Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on New Jersey Senate race
Oct 9, 2018
On Health Care:
Repeal ObamaCare but keep preexisting conditions
Q: Support or Repeal Affordable Care Act (ACA), known as ObamaCare?Robert Hugin (R): Said Republican repeal effort would be "great for the country." Keep good aspects of ObamaCare like protecting people with preexisting conditions.
Robert Menendez
(D): Supports. Repeal would have "hiked premiums and disproportionately hurt women & the disabled."
Q: Require people to work to receive Medicaid?
Hugin: No stand found.
Menendez: No. "Some Medicaid recipients physically cannot work."
Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on New Jersey Senate race
Oct 9, 2018
On Immigration:
Path to citizenship for people building a productive life
Q: Immigration: Path to citizenship for DACA ("Dreamers"), who grew up in US after being brought here illegally?Robert Hugin (R): Yes. "I support a path to citizenship for people who are here building a constructive, productive life."
Robert Menendez (D): Yes. "These kids have grown up as Americans." Also helped craft broader bipartisan immigration bill.
Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on New Jersey Senate race
Oct 9, 2018
On Tax Reform:
Trump tax cuts delivered real relief & job creation
Q: Support President Trump's proposed tax cuts?Robert Hugin (R): Yes. Delivers "real relief" & will spur economic growth & job creation. But would reverse state tax deduction cap.
Robert Menendez (D): No. "Cannot & will not support a tax bill that reads like one giant hit job on New Jersey's middle class."
Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on New Jersey Senate race
Oct 9, 2018
On War & Peace:
Iran used nuclear deal to export terrorism
Q: Support Trump withdrawal from multinational Iran nuclear treaty?Robert Hugin (R): Yes. "Iran has used the resources they received from the United States [as part of the deal] to export terrorism."
Robert Menendez (D): No. "Grave mistake to walk away without a plan" to ensure Iran doesn't restart nuclear weapon program.
Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on New Jersey Senate race
Oct 9, 2018
On Health Care:
AdWatch: Raised drug prices in US while lowering them abroad
Senator Bob Menendez announced his second campaign commercial, attacking Hugin for raising the price of Revlimid in the U.S. while lowering it in Russia. Menendez was indicted in April 2015 on federal corruption charges; he has sought to turn the ethics
issue back on Celgene Corp. executive Bob Hugin. Celgene under Hugin paid $280 million to settle charges that it pushed drugs for uses not approved by the Food and Drug Administration, and that it submitted false claims to Medicare.
The company spent more money than ever before as it lobbied against legislation that could speed up a generic alternative to its Revlimid cancer drug.
"Bob Hugin is the guy who got rich ripping off cancer patients and defrauding Medicare, the guy who's spent millions supporting Donald Trump and right-wing candidates and causes, and is now trying to buy a Senate seat," a Menendez supporter said.
Source: NJ Advance Media AdWatch on 2018 New Jersey Senate race
Aug 22, 2018
On Civil Rights:
Regrets ban on women at 1970s Princeton eating clubs
When Hugin was a student at Princeton in the 1970s, he fought against efforts to allow women into all-male eating clubs, as president of one such club, the Tiger Inn.Sally Frank was denied access and, in 1979, sued for women to be able to join. Even
though the clubs eventually opened up to women, the case kept going until 1992 when two clubs, including the Tiger Inn, paid legal fees to the group representing Frank. Hugin, who was in his late 30s at that time, called Frank's efforts "politically
correct fascism."
Hugin expressed regret for opposing those efforts and his comments from 1992. "If I could go back in time, I would not use those words," Hugin said. "It was a mistake and I take responsibility for that. Everyone evolves over time."
"The Tiger Inn becoming co-ed was a very positive development," Hugin said. "The decision to admit women back in the early '90s was without question the right thing to do. Personally, I wish I had taken a leadership role in making it happen sooner."
Source: The Hill coverage of 2018 New Jersey Senate race
Jul 20, 2018
On Civil Rights:
My kids taught me to be more tolerant of gays than in 1970s
Bob Menendez's campaign sent around a 1976 article published in the Central Jersey Home News where Bob Hugin, a senior at Princeton at the time, said that if a student was found to be gay, "he wouldn't last long." The decades-old story reported that
Hugin led a campus petition to fight back against the university from broadening its anti-discrimination policy to include gay and lesbian students. He also called for a student referendum, arguing that "students as a whole should have a say on
something so controversial as this."Hugin said that he's evolved on this issue, largely citing his children's "insight on the issues of equality and fairness."
"I'm proud to say that my views are a lot different than they were
40 years ago," Hugin said. "Personal growth should be seen as a strength, and more elected officials should embrace and be open to discussing it in their public lives."
Source: The Hill coverage of 2018 New Jersey Senate race
Jul 20, 2018
On Energy & Oil:
Energy independence: solar & wind, plus domestic oil & gas
Bob is a strong proponent of American energy independence and supports a multi-faceted energy strategy that includes more domestic production of oil and natural gas and continued support of nuclear power, which currently provides nearly 40% of net
electricity generation. He also backs investment in renewable energy sources like solar and wind. Bob opposes all drilling off the east coast. It's bad for the environment and the risk is far too high for our successful fishing and tourism industries.
Source: 2018 New Jersey Senate campaign website BobHugin.com
Jun 21, 2018
On Foreign Policy:
Supports Israel and recognizes Jerusalem as its capital
Bob considers Israel among our most valued allies and supports officially recognizing Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel, as well as the Administration's recent decision to relocate the United States Embassy to the city.
He supports a continued Israeli-Palestinian peace process that results in a 2-state solution where the Palestinians recognize Israel's right to exist. Bob considers Israel a beacon of democracy and innovation in the Middle East and throughout the world.
Source: 2018 New Jersey Senate campaign website BobHugin.com
Jun 21, 2018
On Homeland Security:
Syrian airstrikes no "kabuki show" to our brave military
Sen. Menendez characterized the recent airstrikes in Syria as "kabuki." The airstrikes, targeted Syrian sites associated with their chemical-weapons capabilities as a response to an˙attack last week˙that killed over 43 civilians. Hugin released
the statement: "Sen. Menendez suggesting that the military strike was a 'kabuki show' is an insult to the brave men and women in our military who carried out this apparently flawless, precision strike against the Assad regime," said Hugin.
Source: 2018 New Jersey Senate campaign website BobHugin.com
Jun 21, 2018
On Environment:
More work is needed for safe, clean environment
[Twitter posting by Bob Hugin]: New Jersey has the most Superfund sites in the country. In 1980,
Congress established Superfunds to fund the cleanup of toxic waste. Clearly, there is more work to be done to ensure our environment is clean and safe. #50outof50 #NJSen
Source: Twitter posting for 2018 New Jersey Senate race
May 8, 2018
On Social Security:
Blasts opponent for voting to raise taxes on Social Security
[Twitter posting by Bob Hugin]: @SenatorMenendez voted to raise taxes on Social Security & he abused his power to help his 'best friend' Melgen, who ran a fraud scheme that stole millions from
Medicare by performing unnecessary operations that left patients blind #BlindingHypocrisy #NJSen
Source: Twitter posting for 2018 New Jersey Senate race
May 6, 2018
On Corporations:
As a job creator he'll employ new policies to spur growth
Bob understands the need for innovative policies that encourage economic growth and make our state more attractive. New Jersey is a high cost state. The future Bob envisions is one where our economy is growing, businesses are thriving and people have
good paying jobs to support themselves and their families. He will use his decades of experience as a job creator to ensure that New Jersey's economy is a robust economy where everyone has the opportunity to succeed and pursue their dreams.
Source: 2018 New Jersey Senate campaign website BobHugin.com
May 3, 2018
On Immigration:
Fully supports pathway to citizenship for innocent DREAMers
"It's a shame that ICE needs to issue press releases telling elected officials to knock off the politics and let them do their jobs. Locking up domestic abusers and violent criminals should never be a partisan issue," said Bob Hugin. "I support a clear
path to citizenship for Dreamers--innocent young people brought here illegally by their parents, and a similarly clear path to jail or deportation for criminal illegals who are putting our communities and families at risk."
Source: InsiderNJ.com on 2018 New Jersey Senate race
Apr 25, 2018
On Abortion:
Against late term abortions unless mother's life is at risk
A deputy campaign manager said, "Bob opposes late-term abortions˙unless the life of the mother is at risk. As Senator,
Bob will vet each judicial nominee on their own merit and record. He thought Judge Neil Gorsuch was an excellent choice and would generally be supportive of nominees who fit that profile."
Source: Politics DW on 2018 New Jersey Senate race
Feb 26, 2018
On Health Care:
As CEO, paid $280M drug settlement
A whistleblower lawsuit in 2014 accusing Celgene of putting cancer patients in danger by hiding information about potentially fatal side effects of 2 Celgene anti-cancer drugs. Celgene denies it all, but the company didn't fight the accusations in
court. It˙settled the lawsuit for $280 million in July of 2017, while Hugin served as CEO and chairman. I asked Hugin about it Friday morning. A trial would have spooked investors, he said, leading to a drop in the company's value.
Source: Newark Star Ledger on 2018 New Jersey Senate race
Feb 18, 2018
On Health Care:
Will use his 20 years in healthcare to craft new reforms
"I'm going to go to Washington and I'm going to craft specific proposals to reform health care," he added. The former pharmaceutical executive has pledged to bring a sense of affordability and responsibility back.
In an op-ed this week, Hugin reflected on his nearly 20 years working in the sector and declared that the U.S. is failing to adequately address the increasing inequality of health care.
Source: CNBC's coverage of 2018 New Jersey Senate race
Feb 14, 2018
On Tax Reform:
Opposes new $10K cap on deductions for state & local taxes
On Tuesday, Hugin also briefly addressed the controversial GOP tax reform law, saying it "has some very good things for the American economy," but also "some very bad things for
New Jerseyans," due to its $10,000 cap on deductions for state and local taxes.
Source: Burlington County Times on 2018 New Jersey Senate race
Feb 13, 2018
On Welfare & Poverty:
Non-profit advocate for needs of homeless families
Hugin served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Celgene from May 2006 to June 2010, and was elected by the Board of Directors to serve as a Director in December 2001.
He also serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of Atlantic Health System and of Family Promise, a national non-profit network assisting homeless families.
Source: InsiderNJ.com on 2018 New Jersey Senate race
Jan 15, 2018
Page last updated: Jan 03, 2020