In a blistering response, Democrat Mikie Sherrill’s campaign is rejecting Jack Ciattarelli’s accusation that she is misleading voters over his tax positions, pointing to a long trail of Ciattarelli’s own statements about considering a 10% sales tax modeled after Tennessee.
“Apparently, Mr. Ciattarelli is unable to defend himself effectively in a public policy debate over taxes, so he has resorted to a legal letter that has no merit,” said Raj Parikh, Sherrill’s campaign lawyer. “Despite the best efforts of Assemblyman Ciattarelli’s puppeteer in the White House,17 New Jerseyans still enjoy the protections of the First Amendment.”
Calling a cease-and-desist letter from Ciattarelli’s campaign counsel on Saturday “generally unremarkable,” Parikh doubled down on the central argument of a TV ad from the Democratic Governors Association-backed super PAC claiming Ciattarelli “proposed a 50% sales tax increase” on essentials like food and clothing and is “pushing a 10% sales tax” on the same items.
Ciattarelli had argued that his words were taken out of context, and his campaign said, “Mikie Sherrill is a liar.”
But according to the Sherrill campaign, Ciattarelli floated the idea several times and said “all options should be on the table.”
In 2024, conservative radio host Joe Piscopo asked the GOP candidate if a cap on property taxes and a reduction of the state income tax were on the table.
“You bet it is,” Ciattarelli said. “I just came back from Tennessee. There’s no income tax there.”
Parikh, in a four-page letter to Ciattarelli campaign counsel Mark Sheridan, said the Republican nominee had frequently praised Tennessee’s tax system.
“He has repeatedly said that everything, including this, should ‘be on the table,’” Parikh stated. “That sure sounds like a proposal.”
Still, Ciattarelli’s exact words were different from what the DGA implied: “We’re going to look at what other states do, and every option is on the table,” he said. “So, you have my word. We’re going to look at every option as to how better to fund our state government.”
“The full, unedited audio is clear: Congresswoman Sherrill is lying about my comments at a recent candidate forum,” Ciattarelli said on Saturday. “Anyone who listens to the undoctored audio can hear that I never proposed raising any taxes.”
