NEWARK — If college students in New Jersey flood their parents with requests for help with tuition, mothers and fathers may have none other than Steve Lonegan to thank.

Lonegan, the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, Thursday urged students not to borrow money from the government to pay for college.

"Debt is the enemy of prosperity and should be avoided at all costs, even if this means working a job or two while being in school," he told readers of NJ.com, the online home of The Star-Ledger, during an online chat. "Hit up your parents for money before you borrow it from the government."

Lonegan, who ended up going into the kitchen cabinet business, said he worked in fast-food and retail stores to help pay his way through William Paterson College, although his mother helped him financially.

During the hour-long chat, Lonegan answered 19 questions on a wide array of issues.

A former mayor of Bogota and conservative activist, Lonegan is running against Newark Mayor Cory Booker, his Democratic opponent, in the Oct. 16 special election to fill the unexpired term of the late U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), who died in June.

The chat also touched on Gov. Chris Christie, who Lonegan unsuccessfully ran against for the Republican nomination for governor four years ago.

SUPPORTS CHRISTIE

Asked about Christie’s presidential prospects in 2016, Lonegan, who has campaigned with U.S. Sen Rand Paul (R-Ky.) — a potential 2016 rival of Christie — said the governor would be an "attractive candidate" with a "reasonable chance" of winning the Republican nomination.

"If nominated, he will defeat whoever the Democrats nominate, as will any Republican in the wake of the Obama assault on our economic prosperity, privacy and our health care," Lonegan wrote.

Nor did he shy away from what might have been the most controversial moment of his campaign: suggesting Booker may be "acting ambiguous" to appeal to the gay vote by getting late night pedicures, as opposed to his own preference for Scotch and cigars.

Asked what cigar he considered his favorite, Lonegan chose the Avo Classic.

"Works great with a good Lagavulin," he said, referring to a popular Scotch brand.

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