Tensions had long been simmering between Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-Montclair) and former Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli in the race for governor, but they didn’t fully boil over until Wednesday evening’s debate, when the nominees flung accusations of lying, incompetence, and even the killing of thousands of New Jerseyans.
The second and final debate between the two appeared to follow the pattern of other fora featuring both candidates, with sharp attacks but few explosive moments. That changed about halfway through, when Sherrill and Ciattarelli traded insults during a chaotic three-minute argument.
Ciattarelli revived attacks over Sherrill’s connection to a cheating scandal during her time at the Naval Academy; she was disciplined, and she claims it was because she refused to turn in her classmates. He also pointed to fines that Sherrill had faced due to late stock disclosures, violations that Sherrill has said were minor and quickly addressed.
Sherrill, meanwhile, accused Ciattarelli of killing tens of thousands of people through his previous work leading a medical publishing firm, which she said collaborated with opioid companies that misled the public about the dangers of the drugs.
“I think you’re trying to divert from the fact that you killed tens of thousands of people by printing your misinformation, your propaganda, and then getting paid to develop an app so that people could more easily get the opioids once they were addicted,” Sherrill said.
Ciattarelli told reporters after the debate that the accusation is a lie, calling it “another desperate tactic by a desperate campaign on behalf of a desperate candidate.”
The accusations stem from a 2021 Star-Ledger report about his medical publishing firm. The report found the firm published some pieces that appeared to downplay the danger of opioids while it maintained connections with some two dozen pharmaceutical companies. Ciattarelli sold the firm in 2017.
“Shame on you,” Ciattarelli told Sherrill.
“Shame on you, sir,” Sherrill said back.
The back-and-forth temporarily derailed the debate, which focused largely on federal issues and offered few novel policy stances from either candidate.
Ciattarelli called on Sherrill to release her disciplinary records from her time at the Naval Academy to prove her narrative regarding her discipline following the cheating scandal. Sherrill said she would not do so, arguing the release of those documents could put the information of her former classmates at risk.
“I think she was punished for something else, and so I think she needs to come clean,” Ciattarelli said.
Sherrill alleged Ciattarelli’s campaign is facing a federal investigation after the National Archives improperly released unredacted records from her time in the Navy, including documents that included her Social Security number and the home address of her parents.
Sherrill continued to work to tie Ciattarelli to Trump, citing the president’s claims that Ciattarelli is “100% MAGA.” When asked for a policy in which he differs with Trump, he criticized the construction of offshore wind farms in New York and said he would fight any such projects off the shore of New Jersey.
The candidates graded the performances of the incumbent governor and the president. Sherrill gave Gov. Phil Murphy a B and President Trump an F, while Ciattarelli gave Murphy an F and Trump an A.
Ciattarelli had previously said he supported a “pathway to recognition” for undocumented immigrants who have lived in the United States for a long period of time and have not committed crimes. When asked to expand, Ciattarelli said the pathway would allow such residents to receive valid Social Security numbers and government-issued ID, which he said would make the system more fair for everybody.
He maintained that undocumented immigrants who commit crimes should be deported.
You can watch Wednesday’s full debate here. Tamala Edwards and Bill Ritter moderated the debate. WABC, WPVI, WXTV, and the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning & Public Policy co-sponsored the debate.
You can watch the first gubernatorial debate, co-sponsored by the New Jersey Globe, On New Jersey, and Rider University, here.
