New Jersey candidates for governor Mikie Sherrill and Jack Ciattarelli face off in 90-minute debate at Rider University

With the race for governor in New Jersey now heading into the homestretch, Republican Jack Ciattarelli and Democrat Mikie Sherrill faced off in a debate Sunday evening on the campus of Rider University in Lawrenceville.

The 90-minute discourse took place in a town-hall style setting in the Alumni Gymnasium with hundreds in attendance. It was moderated by “New Jersey Politics” host Laura Jones, and questions were posed by David Wildstein, New Jersey Globe editor-in-chief, Micah Rasmussen, director of the Rebovich Institute at Rider University, and New Jersey Monitor reporter Sophie Nieto-Muñoz, as well as pre-selected members of the audience.

Opening statements

While campaigning across the Garden State in recent weeks, both candidates promised to cut costs for Jersey families, if elected. The Ciattarelli campaign has stressed affordability, promising to cut state spending and lower taxes, while the Sherrill campaign has vowed to make New Jersey more affordable by fighting for tax relief and lowering energy costs.

The candidate’s opening statements largely reflected these themes.

“I’m a former Navy helicopter pilot, federal prosecutor, member of Congress and Jason and I are raising our four great kids, so that’s why I am laser-focused on driving down costs for families like yours,” Sherrill said.

She said she will declare a state of emergency on her first day as governor to freeze utility rate hikes and demand government accountability to save residents time and money.

Sherrill said while Ciattarelli will support abortion bans, she will fight to protect personal freedoms.

In his opening statement, Ciattarelli, a former Assemblyman and small businessman, went on the offensive, arguing New Jersey is in the midst of an affordability crisis and headed in the wrong direction.

“Because of the taxes you pay — and now because of your electricity rates — there’s a public education crisis in this state, nonviolent crime is through the roof, break-ins, car thefts,” he said. “These are the issues.”

Ciattarelli said his opponent will blame these problems on President Donald Trump, but challenged that the Democratic majority in Trenton is to blame for New Jersey’s problems.

With the general election about six weeks away, polls show Sherrill holding a steady lead. A recent Quinnipiac University poll found Sherrill was leading Ciattarelli by 8 points, while a Rutgers University poll last month gave Sherrill a 9-point edge among likely voters.

Plans for the state

Sherrill said in addition to freezing utility costs, she plans to create an online dashboard to assist residents in cutting through red tape and regulatory issues, and said there will be an online report card to help residents understand where their tax dollars are going.

Ciattarelli said he supports making all retirement income tax-free, freezing property taxes for older adults when they reach age 70 and allowing residents to deduct the cost of property taxes on their tax returns. He suggested making the first two years of income after high school or college tax-free, and revisiting New Jersey’s requirement to build affordable housing in all New Jersey towns.

He said requiring affordable housing in all New Jersey towns will have negative environmental ramifications, while Sherrill voiced support for affordable housing expansion, and stressed her support of the Stay NJ program that will cap property taxes for most older homeowners.

When asked about his criticism of Trump during his first term, and his complete support now, Ciattarelli said Trump has halted the development of wind farms off the coast, criticized New York’s congestion pricing plan and its impact on Jersey commuters, raised the SALT deduction on federal tax returns and increased the federal tax credit for parents of young children.

He said his job as governor will be to advocate for the 9.3 million Garden State residents, and said he will always do that.

Sherrill argued Ciattarelli doesn’t want New Jerseyans to focus on Trump’s tariff plans that she blamed for raising prices, putting small companies out of business and increasing the national deficit. She said he also doesn’t want state residents to focus on cuts to Medicaid that will imperil health care.

Education

Sherrill said having more school districts than towns in the state is raising costs.

“We do need to merge some of these school districts, we also need to make some county-based school systems,” she said. “The ones that we have are some of the best performers in our state. This is a way I think we can ensure we’re getting great education to people, while driving down property taxes, especially in those areas where we’re not running a full K–12 system.”

Ciattarelli said he would oppose forced consolidation. However, he said he would help to incentivize consolidating school systems by expanding choice, in the form of charter schools and vouchers, and accused Sherrill of opposing charter schools.

Sherrill denied it and said she supported charter school expansion to make sure every child has access to an excellent education.

Both candidates acknowledged there is a school segregation problem in New Jersey, and they each voiced support for improving schools.

“I intend to do that with a high-impact curriculum,” Ciattarelli said. He said if a child is behind in reading, writing or math, that student would focus solely on improvement for the next grading period on that subject. Sherrill said county-based school systems can help to solve the problem, but more must be done.

“We need high-intensity tutoring to make sure students get back on track,” she said.

Immigration

When asked about the Immigrant Trust Directive, which limits how much state and local law enforcement cooperates with federal immigration authorities, Sherill said, “As governor, I’m going to make sure here in New Jersey we’re following the law and the Constitution.“

Ciattarelli said if elected governor, he would get rid of the Immigrant Trust Directive on his first day in office.

“I believe us having sanctuary cities, us being a sanctuary state, only encourages illegal immigration and restricts our local law enforcement in a number of different ways.” he said.

NJ Transit

When questioned about the state’s transit system, Sherrill said she is laser-focused on improving service. Ciattarelli suggested combining NJ Transit with the Atlantic City Expressway, the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway to create a Garden State Transportation Authority.

Health care

When tasked about the threat of diseases like measles, Sherrill said children are getting sick and some are dying because we are not appropriately following medical research and vaccine protocol. She said that if elected, she would join a coalition of Northeast U.S. governors committed to following medical guidelines and keeping children safe.

Ciattarelli said he supports vaccine recommendations to keep children safe, but shifted the conversation.

“I just wish my opponent showed the same concern when it came to biological males participating in female sports, we should be protecting all students,” he said.

The remark drew groans and some boos from the crowd. Sherrill fired back, saying Ciattarelli tells people what they want to hear but hasn’t taken a stand on public health.

“He hasn’t actually stood up for vaccines, he hasn’t stood against [U.S. Secretary of Health] RFK, he hasn’t mentioned anything about firing the head of the CDC, he doesn’t mention anything about how Trump’s appointee gets most of his medical information on TikTok and [Instagram] Reels. This is not somebody who is going to keep our kids healthy,” she said.

Ciattarelli countered by suggesting Sherrill doesn’t travel to all parts of New Jersey.

“If you want this job, interview for the job, get up and down the state,” he said. Sherrill countered, “What he doesn’t want to address is he will never stand up against Trump.”

Raising taxes

Ciattarelli vowed he would not ever raise the state’s 6.6% sales tax. Sherrill said New Jersey is facing a $5 billion hole from the federal government because of cuts in Medicaid and other federal programs.

“I’m not going to commit to anything right now because I’m not just going to tell you what you want to hear,” she said. “I’m going to tell you the truth, I’m going to be fiscally responsible with your money, I’m going to drive down your costs at every level.”

Where they agreed

When questioned about political violence, both candidates vowed to oppose it and make political violence a hate crime. They also agreed New Jersey citizens have a right to privacy and vowed to work to lower the cost of renting in the state.

Both candidates voiced concern about artificial intelligence and job losses. They also agreed improvements must be made at the Motor Vehicle Commission.

Closing statements

In her closing statement, Sherrill said she and her opponent have clear differences.

“I want to drive down your costs, so whether it’s utility costs or housing costs or utility costs or energy costs, I have a plan to lower your costs,” she said. “Jack is going to go in lockstep with Washington as Trump drives up your energy costs.”

Ciattarelli said three generations of his family achieved their American dream in New Jersey.

“I’m committed to fixing our state, when something I love is broken I want to fix it. I believe that leadership matters, I believe that we can fix the state of New Jersey or I wouldn’t be asking you for your consideration, we can do this,” he said.

Sherrill and Ciattarelli have agreed to meet for a second debate at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center on Oct. 8.