GOP Senate Candidate In NJ Won't Quarantine After Trump's Visit

NEW JERSEY — To quarantine or not to quarantine, that’s the question – and it’s creating some bad blood between New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and the state's Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, Rik Mehta.

Mehta has refused to self-quarantine since attending President Donald Trump’s fundraising event at his golf club in Bedminster on Thursday.

That sparked a verbal joust between Murphy, a Democrat, and Mehta, one of several challengers for Sen. Cory Booker’s seat in the Senate.

Murphy said Mehta was “somebody who’s in outer space” and that he should be disqualified from seeking public office.

Trump and first lady Melania Trump attended the event in New Jersey after an aide on his staff tested positive for the virus that causes COVID-19. The president and the first lady tested positive for the disease later Thursday.

• See related article: President Trump Went To NJ Event After COVID-19 Exposure (UPDATE)
• See related article: Gov. Murphy Says Trump's Visit To NJ 'Wrong Decision At Every Level'

After the event, Murphy and state health officials informed more than 200 attendees and 19 staff members that they were potentially exposed to the virus. Murphy recommended that the attendees get tested for the coronavirus no earlier than five to seven days later, as it can take up to a week or longer for an infected person to test positive.

The governor also asked attendees to self-quarantine for 14 days, a time frame supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Mehta said he got tested for the virus after the event and is waiting for results, but he doesn’t expect that he’s infected.

Mehta – who earned a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from Rutgers University and a Pharm.D. from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences – blasted the governor for being “melodramatic.”

Mehta added that he didn’t come in contact with Trump during his visit.

The Senate hopeful didn’t pull punches when he responded to Murphy's remarks.

“There’s a tremendous amount of fearmongering going on with this governor,” Mehta said. “There are no good public health documents or guidance or anything scientific or medical in nature for what the governor has suggested.”

According to Mehta, he was 40 feet away from Trump at all times during the Bedminster fundraiser, used “ample” hand sanitizer, wore a face mask “when appropriate” and social distanced.

“We’ve got 20-something days left in this campaign, and Gov. Murphy is asking me to be sidelined for 14 of those days,” Mehta said, pointing out that Murphy has also taken heat for making recent political appearances amid the coronavirus pandemic.

• See related article: New Jersey Republican Takes Aim At Governor With 'Murphy's Law'

“Let me explain something,” Mehta said in Monday’s video. “I have four degrees, one as a health professional, and I ran a health administration as well.”

“This sounds more like deflection from the real issue, which is why did we have so many deaths in our nursing homes?” he added.

Mehta earned the Republican Party nod for U.S. Senate in New Jersey in the primary election, which was held mostly via mail due to the pandemic.

Booker emerged victorious in the Democratic Party primary against fellow Newark resident Lawrence Hamm. In addition to Mehta, he faces challenges from Madelyn Hoffman (Green Party), Daniel Burke (LaRouche Was Right) and Veronica Fernandez (Of, By, For!).

• See related article: Here Are Cory Booker's Challengers For US Senate

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