Bob Hugin

Bob Hugin
Personal details
Born Robert John Hugin
1954/1955 (age 63–64)
Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S.
Political party Republican
Spouse(s) Kathy
Children 3
Education Princeton University (BA)
University of Virginia (MBA)
Military service
Allegiance  United States
Service/branch  United States Marine Corps
Years of service 1976–1983 (active duty)
1983–1990 (reserve duty)

Robert John Hugin (born 1954/1955)[1] is an American businessman and politician. He is the executive chair of Celgene, a biopharmaceutical company.[2] He is the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in New Jersey in the 2018 election.[3][4]

Education and military service

Hugin earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Princeton University in 1976. After graduating from Princeton, Hugin served in the U.S. Marine Corps as an active duty infantry officer from 1976 to 1983.[5] In 1985, Hugin earned a Master's Degree in Business Administration from the University of Virginia.[6]

At Princeton, Hugin was president of the male-only Tiger Inn, one of the most prominent private eating clubs on campus. As president, he opposed the membership of gay men in 1976, stating that a member discovered to be gay "wouldn't last long."[7] Years later, as a member of the alumni board, he also led the club's opposition to a 13-year legal campaign during the 1980s and 1990s to require the club to admit women, comparing the campaign to "fascism."[8] In 2018, he said that his views on these issues had since changed.[9]

Career

From 1985 to April 1999, Hugin worked at J.P. Morgan & Co. Inc. and was a managing director.[10]

Hugin has been credited with saving the biotech corporation Celgene and turning it profitable.[4] He joined the company in June 1999 as senior vice president and CFO. He was elected to Celgene's board of directors in December 2001. Hugin served as Celgene's president and COO since May 2006, and became the CEO of Celgene in June 2010. In June 2011, he was elected chairman of the Celgene board of directors.[2]

During Hugin's tenure, Celgene was reprimanded multiple times by the U.S Food and Drug Administration, including a formal warning letter in 2000 for not sharing all the risks associated with their drugs, and for marketing their drug Thalomid and others to doctors for unapproved uses. In 2017, Celgene was forced to pay $280 million in response to a lawsuit regarding these practices.[4] Hugin has been criticized for drastically raising the prices of several drugs while he was in charge of Celgene.[4][11] For example, in 2006, the drug Revlimid was introduced to the market and cost about $6,000 for a one-month supply. Celgene was able to actively prevent generic versions of the drug from being sold, and by the year 2017, the price for the same amount of Revlimid had been raised by Celgene to over $16,000.[4]

In 2013, Hugin was named the best CEO in biotech by TheStreet.com.[12] He left his position at Celgene as chief executive and become an executive chairman in 2017.[4]

2018 U.S. Senate election

On February 13, 2018, Hugin announced his candidacy for US Senate from the state of New Jersey.[13] In the first quarter of 2018, his campaign raised a little under $8 million, of which $7.5 million was a loan from Hugin himself.[14] He defeated Brian Goldberg in the Republican primary that took place on June 5, 2018, by garnering 75% of the vote, to Goldberg's 24%.[15] He will face Senator Bob Menendez in the general election on November 6.[1]

Attack ads

It's been noted this Senate election has included millions of dollars worth of attack ads on both sides.[4][16] Hugin was targeted by a super PAC run by a cancer patient who had taken the cancer drug Revlimid by Celgene. The $1.5 million advertising campaign criticized the large price hikes on cancer drugs by Celgene during Mr. Hugin’s tenure. His opponent Menendez has attacked Hugin during the campaign for raising drug prices at Celgene and the subsequent $280 million settlement.[17] Hugin was also attacked by Menendez for being "anti-women" and "anti-gay" due to actions Hugin took at Princeton University, including writing in the school newspaper to protest against sexual orientation from being added to the university’s non-discrimination policy, and for later using his position as president of the Princeton alumni board to lead a 13-year legal battle against a woman who was trying to get Princeton to allow women in their all-male eating clubs.[18][7]

Political positions

On his 2018 campaign website for the US Senate seat in New Jersey, Hugin described himself as a "different kind of Republican" and as an "independent."[19] He has presented himself as a "moderate" Republican.[20] He openly advertises his support for legal abortion and gay marriage.[21] On social issues, Hugin is more socially liberal than most Republicans.[22]

Abortion

Hugin announced that he is pro-choice on abortion and supports same-sex marriage in a campaign ad. After announcing that he supports legal abortion, Hugin "lost the support of New Jersey Right to Life, the state’s largest pro-life group."[23] Hugin opposes late term abortions unless the life of the mother is at risk.[24] He supported the nomination of Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch and has said he would support similarly conservative judicial Supreme Court candidates, causing some to question whether he would be proactive about defending abortion rights.[25][26]

Healthcare

Hugin would like to keep parts of Obamacare. He would also like to limit out-of-pocket payments including prescription co-payments.[18]

Immigration

He opposes the current administration's family separation policy, and announced that he supports a pathway to citizenship for some undocumented immigrants.[27]

LGBT rights

Hugin used to oppose gay marriage and gay rights, including advocating against extending non-discrimination rights to LGBT students at Princeton.[28][29] He has since changed his stance and now fully supports the right of LGBT people to get married.[30]

Taxes

Hugin calls himself a fiscal conservative opposed to tax increases in a state with the highest property taxes."[31] He supports making individual tax cuts permanent,[32] and also opposes the cap on the state and local tax (SALT) deduction imposed by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, saying that it is too low.[33]

Trump

Hugin supported Trump's presidential candidacy, was the finance chairman of Trump’s New Jersey campaign, and donated $100,000 in 2016 to the Trump Victory Fund to help get Trump elected.[34][35] Hugin also acted as a delegate supporting Trump's nomination at the 2016 Republican National Convention.[34][36] He has since said that some of Trump's policies are hurting businesses.[35]

References

  1. 1 2 Friedman, Matt (June 6, 2018). "Menendez vs. Hugin: 'Corrupt' senator vs. 'greedy' pharmaceutical exec". Politico. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  2. 1 2 "Management - Celgene Corporation". Celgene. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
  3. ↑ Washington Times. "Menendez, Hugin to fight for U.S. Senate seat in New Jersey". Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "A G.O.P. Senate Candidate Highlights His Drug Industry Career. Should He?". The New York Times. Retrieved 2018-10-04.
  5. ↑ "Hall of Fame: Bob Hugin". njbiz.com. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
  6. ↑ "Robert J. Hugin". Forbes. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
  7. 1 2 Pugliese, Nicholas (September 21, 2018). "NJ election 2018: Menendez attacks Hugin for past stances on women, gays at Princeton". Northjersey.com. Retrieved July 22, 2018.
  8. ↑ Pugliese, Nicholas (September 21, 2018). "NJ election 2018: Menendez attacks Hugin for past stances on women, gays at Princeton". Northjersey.com. Retrieved July 22, 2018.
  9. ↑ Friedman, Matt (July 20, 2018). "Menendez jumps on Hugin's past opposition to allowing women, gays into elite Princeton club". Politico. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
  10. ↑ "Robert J. Hugin". Business Week. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
  11. ↑ "Republicans suddenly see an opening in an unlikely state's Senate race, but Democrats remain confident". Business Insider. Retrieved 2018-10-04.
  12. ↑ Feuerstein, Adam (December 11, 2013). "The Best Biotech CEO of 2013 is..." thestreet.com. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
  13. ↑ "A Former Pharmaceutical Executive Is Running for U.S. Senate in New Jersey". New York Times. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
  14. ↑ Friedman, Matt (April 9, 2018). "Hugin puts $7.5M of his own money into campaign". Politico. Retrieved June 24, 2018.
  15. ↑ New York Times. "New Jersey Primary Election Results". Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  16. ↑ "Is There Anything More to New Jersey's U.S. Senate Race than Negative Ads? - NJ Spotlight". www.njspotlight.com. Retrieved 2018-10-04.
  17. ↑ "A G.O.P. Senate Candidate Highlights His Drug Industry Career. Should He?". Retrieved 2018-10-04.
  18. 1 2 "Is There Anything More to New Jersey's U.S. Senate Race than Negative Ads? - NJ Spotlight". www.njspotlight.com. Retrieved 2018-10-04.
  19. ↑ "Bob Hugin for Senate". Bob Hugin for Senate. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  20. ↑ "Senate split: Bob Hugin says he'd vote for Brett Kavanaugh after Bob Menendez votes 'no'". North Jersey. Retrieved 2018-10-08.
  21. ↑ "NJ Senate candidate Bob Hugin doesn't just support abortion, gay rights— he advertises it". NorthJersey.com. June 14, 2018. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  22. ↑ "Hugin risks alienating Trump voters by courting Dems - New Jersey Globe". New Jersey Globe. June 14, 2018. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  23. ↑ "Hugin's pro-choice stance leaves abortion opponents in a lurch - New Jersey Globe". New Jersey Globe. June 15, 2018. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  24. ↑ "Ex-rival vouches for Hugin's pro-life credentials - New Jersey Globe". New Jersey Globe. 2018-02-16. Retrieved 2018-10-04.
  25. ↑ "Ex-rival vouches for Hugin's pro-life credentials - New Jersey Globe". New Jersey Globe. 2018-02-16. Retrieved 2018-10-04.
  26. ↑ "How Brett Kavanaugh's sex assault allegation is trouble for Republican in NJ Senate race". North Jersey. Retrieved 2018-10-04.
  27. ↑ "After criticism, GOP Senate candidate Hugin calls for end to separating children at border". North Jersey. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  28. ↑ "Menendez Rips Bob Hugin For Alleged 'Anti-Gay, Anti-Woman' Past". Hoboken, NJ Patch. 2018-07-20. Retrieved 2018-10-04.
  29. ↑ "Menendez ties Republican Senate foe to Trump's record on women, LGBT rights". NJ.com. Retrieved 2018-10-04.
  30. ↑ "Menendez ties Republican Senate foe to Trump's record on women, LGBT rights". NJ.com. Retrieved 2018-10-04.
  31. ↑ "Menendez's Republican challenger: 'I'm offended' by senator's actions". NJ.com. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  32. ↑ "Bob Hugin's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)". votesmart.org.
  33. ↑ Matt Friedman (February 13, 2018). "Republican Hugin launches Senate candidacy, says he's 'embarrassed' by Menendez". Politico. Retrieved June 24, 2018.
  34. 1 2 "NJ Senate candidate Bob Hugin doesn't just support abortion, gay rights— he advertises it". North Jersey. Retrieved 2018-10-03.
  35. 1 2 "In Trump country, Hugin distances himself from Trump". Politico PRO. Retrieved 2018-10-04.
  36. ↑ "NJ Senate election 2018: What you need to know about Bob Hugin and Bob Menendez". North Jersey. Retrieved 2018-10-04.
Party political offices
Preceded by
Joe Kyrillos		 Republican nominee for U.S. Senator from New Jersey
(Class 1)
2018		 Most recent
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