Amid rising tensions in the race for governor, New Jersey’s nominees for lieutenant governor met Tuesday evening for a cordial debate at Kean University.
The hour-long debate between Centenary University President Dale Caldwell and Morris County Sheriff Jim Gannon touched on taxes, affordability, state spending, immigration, and more. The former is running alongside Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-Montclair), while Gannon is the running mate of Republican former Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli.
Opening statements focused on introducing themselves to viewers — lieutenant governor nominees rarely own the spotlight during campaigns, and neither possessed a statewide presence before this summer.
Moderators asked Gannon whether a Ciattarelli governorship would consider increasing taxes on millionaires; Gannon said it’s on the table, but said he would be “careful” of such taxes, arguing that millionaires employ many New Jerseyans. The moderator followed up and asked whether new taxes were on the table, and Gannon said officials have to look at the system.
“We have to look at it, you have to look at the whole thing,” Gannon said. “What I’m saying is, millionaires, we can’t just beat up the millionaires. The millionaires, many times, are employers; they’re employing us.”
The statement came after weeks of back and forth between both campaigns, each accusing the other of being the true Raise-Your-Taxes candidate. The Sherrill campaign had already clipped and tweeted the quote by the end of the debate.
On immigration, Gannon repeated Ciattarelli’s promise to reverse the Immigrant Trust Directive, a policy that generally bars New Jersey police from working with federal immigration officers on civil immigration enforcement operations. Gannon also said he’s open to giving a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who have not committed crimes in the U.S. and said a Ciattarelli administration would focus on apprehending undocumented immigrants who had committed violence.
“I’m talking about those violent predators that are out there: gangsters, crimes against women, crimes against children, those types of things,” Gannon said. “Those are people that we have to be in focus on, and we have to lock them up.”
Caldwell declined to say whether a Sherrill administration would continue the Immigrant Trust Directive, a policy extolled by many progressive and mainstream Democrats. During and after the first gubernatorial debate, Sherrill declined to say whether she would continue the directive four times.
“We would make sure that people are safe,” Caldwell said. “We’re going to make sure that the laws are followed, the Constitution is followed, the laws of New Jersey [are followed].”
While the candidates criticized the opposing ticket’s gubernatorial nominees, they remained cordial with each other and strayed from aggressive attacks. They praised each other after a question about political violence, and Caldwell said
“One of the things that the sheriff talks about, it’s not about Democrats and Republicans, [it’s] about what’s best for New Jersey,” Caldwell said after the debate. “I think we both agree.”
Assemblyman Mike Inganamort (R-Chester Twp), who spoke on behalf of the GOP ticket after the debate, said he wasn’t surprised by the relative calmness of the debate.
“I know Jim Gannon and I know his heart, and that’s the kind of guy he is,” Inganamort said.
Tuesday’s debate was the sole lieutenant governor debate sponsored by the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission. PIX11, PHL17, Kean University, and New Jersey 101.5 sponsored the debate, which was moderated by Dan Mannarino and Henry Rosoff.
The New Jersey Globe, On New Jersey, and Rider University sponsored the first debate between Sherrill and Ciattarelli. The final debate between the gubernatorial nominees — hosted by WABC, WPVI, WXTV, and Rutgers University — is next Wednesday at 7 p.m.
