Trump looms over New Jersey’s race for governor as candidates clash in their first debate

Voters in New Jersey may not be see the president on the ballot when they select their next governor in November, but Donald Trump still looms over the race, with the candidates clashing over his administration’s policies in their first debate.

Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill worked to tie Republican Jack Ciattarelli to Trump, while Ciattarelli stressed his independence from the White House while defending some of Trump’s signature moves Sunday night. The New Jersey Globe, Rider University and On New Jersey hosted the debate, which comes as the fall campaign heats up in New Jersey and a handful of other places with 2025 elections on tap.

The New Jersey race, along with the governor’s race in Virginia, are the only two gubernatorial contests in the nation this year, and they could provide early clues for how voters are responding to the Trump administration. Trump, who has endorsed Ciattarelli, lost both states by 6 percentage points last year, though that was a significant improvement on his 2020 margin in New Jersey.

Sherrill, who said in her opening statement that she is “laser-focused on driving down costs for families like yours,” said of Ciattarelli, “He’ll do whatever Trump tells him to do, and I will fight anybody to work for you.”

Ciattarelli in turn laid out four crises facing the state: affordability, public education, public safety and overdevelopment.

“My opponent will blame all these things on the president,” Ciattarelli said, adding, “Make no mistake, the party that’s controlled our Legislature for 25 years, the party that’s controlled the executive branch for the eight years, are the reason why we are today.”

Sherrill, who was first elected to Congress in 2018 when she flipped a longtime Republican House seat, said her administration would take Trump to court over federal funding cuts, particularly to education, as the Trump administration looks to dismantle the Education Department.

”My attorney general is going to sue to claw back as much money from the federal government as we can,” she said.

Ciattarelli said, “I don’t necessarily have a problem with the president and the administration downsizing the Department of Education,” sparring with Sherrill over whether New Jersey would still benefit from federal education funds. Ciattarelli also said suing the White House would be “a waste of taxpayer dollars.”

Sherrill and Ciattarelli, a former state legislator, also clashed over Trump’s sweeping tax cut and spending legislation, known as the “one big, beautiful bill,” with Sherrill arguing the measure threatens to cut health care coverage and raise energy costs.

“As governor I’m going to make sure my AG is fighting this tooth and nail,” Sherrill said.

Ciattarelli defended the additional work requirements for Medicaid in the measure, while he pledged to protect the state’s “most vulnerable” residents.

“I think the fair question of any gubernatorial candidate, and obviously that includes my opponent, is this: Do you believe it’s fair to make somebody have to verify their eligibility for Medicaid twice a year? Do you believe it’s fair to continue Medicaid by giving us 20 hours a week of education, volunteerism or work if you’re able-bodied and your kids are 15 or older? I believe that’s fair,” Ciattarelli said.

The candidates also fought over immigration amid the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration.

Sherrill said she would “follow the law,” abiding by due process rights and the Constitution. But she declined to directly answer whether she would continue the state’s “Immigrant Trust Directive,” which limits state and local law enforcement’s cooperation with federal immigration officials. She said she would ensure Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents cannot be masked in the state.

Ciattarelli pledged to rescind the “Immigrant Trust Directive” on his first day in office, arguing that the measure encourages illegal immigration.

While the candidates had some heated exchanges over the Trump administration’s policies, Ciattarelli also sought to tie Sherrill to Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy and the Democrats in charge of the state Legislature.

“Can anybody tell me their life is better off than it was eight years ago?” said Ciattarelli, who lost a close race to Murphy in 2021.

Ciattarelli and Sherrill also sparred over political violence, with Ciattarelli saying he supports legislation to classify such violence as a hate crime, while Sherrill declined to lay out her stance on the issue.

Ciattarelli also chided Sherrill for her recent comments about conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated this month, saying she “voted yes on a resolution to celebrate Charlie Kirk’s life but then, within minutes, sent out a statement that basically condemned him. I think that was wrong.”

Sherrill voted Friday to support a resolution condemning Kirk’s assassination, and she said in a statement after her vote: “Charlie Kirk was advocating for a Christian nationalist government and to roll back the rights of women and Black people — this flies in the face of every value I hold dear and that I fight for. But the Constitution protects free speech, even for those I vehemently oppose.”

“I voted to protect free speech. I voted to end political violence,” Sherrill said. “I also think it’s fair, Jack, to speak up when you disagree with something. And so if you want to stand up that Martin Luther King was a bad guy, or that women should submit to their husbands, you, Jack, are welcome to do that. And I have the right to say that I disagree with it.”

The two candidates also covered a variety of other state issues, including education, electricity costs, mass transit, housing and the state’s high cost of living.

Ciattarelli said he would commit to “not raising the sales tax here in New Jersey,” saying he would also work to lower property and income taxes.

Sherrill, who pledged to be fiscally responsible, said the state faces a “$5 billion hole” from the federal government.

“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.