Ciattarelli, Sherrill Clash on Taxes, Trump, Immigration in Raucous NJ Governor Debate

New Jersey governor candidates Jack Ciattarelli and Mikie Sherrill met for their first debate on Sept. 21, clashing on affordability, taxes, and immigration before a raucous audience of 1,600 people at Rider University in Lawrenceville.

Ciattarelli –  a 63-year-old Republican and ex-assembly member, and former businessman – cast himself as a chief executive officer-type leader and devotee of President Donald Trump. Sherrill, 53, a Democratic congresswoman, veteran U.S. Navy helicopter pilot, and former federal prosecutor, said Trump’s policies were disastrous for the state.

“He will never stand up to Trump,” Sherrill said of her opponent. Ciattarelli, referring to Sherrill’s Democratic roots, said: “My opponent has been controlled for 25 years.”

Each is running in the Nov. 4 general election to replace two-term Democrat Phil Murphy, who is constitutionally barred from seeking a third consecutive term. 

The 90-minute debate, sponsored by the political website NJ Globe, was town hall-style, with audience members reading questions from handheld cards. The crowd, which appeared to have an even number of Ciattarelli and Sherrill supporters, often erupted with loud applause, hoots, and shouts of “Amen!” and “Yeah!” 

Ciattarelli, at times, motioned to his supporters not to interrupt his opponent. Sherrill scolded an audience member who shouted an expletive, saying children were present.

The debate came on the same day as the funeral in Arizona for Charlie Kirk, the Republican activist who was assassinated on a Utah campus on Sept. 10. Security at the New Jersey event was extraordinarily tight, with dozens of state police patrolling the suburban campus and monitoring the crowd, seated on bleachers and in folding chairs in the gymnasium. 

“Everyone in elective office faces this threat to themself and worse, to their families,” Sherrill said. The fight for free speech, she said, “should never devolve into violence.”

Ciattarelli said candidates should “engage in rhetoric that doesn’t divide us.” He said he supported proposed bipartisan state legislation that would classify political violence as a hate crime.

Almost all campus entrances were blocked by heavy utility trucks and state police vehicles, and the event was delayed by seven minutes because of a mile-long traffic back-up leading to campus. A drone hovered above the gym, where the debate took place, and attendees’ bags were searched. Organizers said the crowd was the biggest ever for a New Jersey governor’s debate.

Here’s how the candidates tackled the issues:

AFFORDABILITY

Ciatarrelli, dressed in a navy suit and white dress shirt without a tie, said he would “reduce the size and cost” of New Jersey government. For first-time home buyers, he pitched property taxes capped at 1% of valuation and, for homeowners over 70, a property-tax freeze. 

“Make retirement income taxes free, allowing seniors to deduct property returns,” Ciattarelli said. “Make the first two years out of high school tax-free.” 

Sherrill, in a powder-blue pantsuit and patent tassel loafers, said “there are people colluding” to raise residential rents, though she offered no specifics. “I’m going to make sure we drive down rental prices and end the collusion driving them up,” she said.

Ciattarelli said the root cause of rent increases was higher property taxes, driven by a system he vowed to change: New Jersey’s school funding formula, which draws on local and state taxes. 

“I want us to stop developing high-density housing in all of our 564 towns,” Ciattarelli said. He would channel affordable housing to cities, including Newark and Trenton, he said. “We need more lease-to-purchase opportunities.” 

UTILITY RATES

New Jersey electricity bills rose as much as 20% on June 1, the result of rates approved by state regulators after an annual auction by regional power grid operator PJM Interconnection, which channels electricity to local utilities.

Ciattarelli said he would pull New Jersey out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, for what he called an immediate savings of $500 million, though he gave no specifics. Offshore wind – an initiative fostered by Murphy but blocked by Trump – wasn’t an option because it was too expensive, Ciattarelli said. 

“Nobody wants wind farms off our Jersey Shore,” Ciattarelli said. ‘I’ll shut those down and reopen and expand nuclear plants.”

SALES TAX

“We are not raising the sales tax here in New Jersey,” said Ciattarelli, who has been portrayed in opposition ads as pitching a 10% retail tax rate. Sherrill didn’t address whether she would support boosting the state’s 6.625% rate.

STATE PENSIONS

New Jersey’s unfunded pension obligations total roughly $80 billion, the result of decades skipped or reduced payments by governors from both parties. Murphy has contributed more than $42 billion to the system, which funds benefits for more than 800,000 retired and active public workers.

Sherrill vowed to continue Murphy’s practice of making the state’s full contribution to the roughly $73 billion pension funds.

“What you didn’t hear was that he will fund your pensions,” she said of her opponent.

IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT

“As governor, I’m going to make sure that people can’t go around masked here in our state,” said Sherrill, referring to sweeps by U.S. Immigration and Customs agents. “My opponent supports policy when people here legally can be detained. I’m going to make sure we follow the law and the Constitution.”

Violent criminals, she said, “should be deported, but I also believe in due process.”

Ciattarelli said: “Executive Order No. 1, Day One – we’re getting rid of the Immigrant Trust Directive in New Jersey.” That order, dating to 2018 and updated since, limits the help that New Jersey law enforcement may give to federal immigration officials.

LGBTQ MATTERS

“I don’t think biological boys should be playing in girls’ sports,” said Ciattarelli, to roars of approval from his supporters.

CLIMATE CHANGE

Ciattarelli said climate change is driven by “high-density housing,” and that increased natural gas, nuclear and solar would benefit New Jersey.

“We need a rational transition to the future regarding our energy,” he said. “The flooding has to do with overdevelopment. We should only have affordable housing and infrastructure in a good area.” 

Sherrill said she was a leading proponent of preserving open space. “Our climate is changing and we need to act, because too many of our urban areas are seeing high instances of asthma,” she said.

PUBLIC HEALTH

Both candidates said they supported childhood immunizations, even as Trump’s Health Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is questioning the science on their efficacy.

“New Jersey parents should be very worried,” Sherrill said. “If we are not going to ensure vaccinations for our kids, now we have babies dying of pertussis, or whooping cough.”

Ciattarelli said he supports the vaccine schedule for typical childhood immunizations. 

On mental health, he said he would fund psychological care and homeless shelters in every county. 

Sherrill said, “We have a mental-health crisis. We have a loneliness crisis.” She said she would support “red-flag” laws to keep guns from those with mental illness.

Isabella Darcy is a College of New Jersey senior majoring in Journalism and Professional Writing and minoring in Communication Studies. Isabella Burke is a Rutgers University senior majoring in Journalism and Media Studies and minoring in Entrepreneurship.