**GOP Senate Candidate Curtis Bashaw Pauses Mid-Debate Due to Low Blood Sugar**

During a critical debate session on Sunday, Republican New Jersey Senate candidate Curtis Bashaw experienced an unexpected pause, causing concern among attendees. Bashaw, 63, who is running to fill the Senate seat recently vacated by Democrat Bob Menendez, suddenly stopped speaking mid-sentence while addressing affordability issues. His opponent, Democrat Rep. Andy Kim, 42, immediately noticed something amiss and quickly went to check on him.

Rep. Andy Kim, a two-term U.S. Congressman, demonstrated prompt concern when he approached Bashaw to ensure everything was alright. After Bashaw reassured Kim that he was fine, the debate moderator decided to take a commercial break to allow Bashaw to be examined. Bashaw left the debate stage for roughly ten minutes during this interruption.

Upon his return, Bashaw addressed the interruption, explaining that his sudden pause was due to not having eaten sufficiently throughout the day. "I got so worked up about this affordability issue that I realized I hadn't eaten so much food today," Bashaw shared with the audience, expressing his gratitude for their patience.

Taking to social media after the debate, Bashaw wrote, "Thank you all for the well wishes! I was out campaigning all day, and I never stopped to get a bite to eat. Excited to eat pizza with my fantastic volunteers at the post-debate party tonight!" He later humorously confirmed that the pizza was indeed secured, thanking his supporters for their concern.

Addressing the incident directly, Bashaw's campaign team told Fox News Digital that the candidate was merely suffering from low blood sugar due to a busy day on the campaign trail without food. "Curtis is fine! He was on the campaign trail all day and didn't get a chance to eat," a spokesperson explained. The team revealed that a quick snack of a protein bar and some soda helped Bashaw recover and return to the stage swiftly. They also confidently remarked, "Even having not eaten all day, Curtis was still able to eat Andy Kim's lunch tonight!"