The final debate in the race for New Jersey’s governorship revealed starkly opposing views on President Trump’s first year in office.
U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill, the Democratic nominee, delivered a scathing assessment, declaring that Mr. Trump has flunked the test.
Her Republican opponent, former state Rep. Jack Ciattarelli, offered a glowing review: “Right now? I certainly give the president an A … he’s right about everything that he’s doing.”
Mr. Ciattarelli praised Mr. Trump’s efforts to curb inflation and strengthen border security, pledging, if elected, to help crack down on violent illegal immigrants by rolling back sanctuary policies that restrict local law enforcement from cooperating with federal efforts against illegal immigration.
Ms. Sherrill mocked his remarks as “amazing.”
“I think that tells us all we need to know about who Jack Ciattarelli is supporting,” she said. “I give him an ‘F.’”
She argued that Mr. Trump’s policies, including tariffs and the “Big Beautiful Bill,” have driven up costs across the board — including for groceries, health care, energy and housing.
The dynamic flipped when they were asked to grade outgoing Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, with Ms. Sherrill giving him a “B,” and Mr. Ciattarelli giving him an “F.”
“This has been the worst governorship of our lifetime,” Mr. Ciattarelli said.
The faceoff at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center marked the candidates’ last, best opportunity to leave a lasting impression on voters while sharing the same stage.
The race has centered around affordability, which has proved to be the defining issue in the New York City mayoral race, as well as the gubernatorial race in Virginia.
Mr. Trump has also cast a long shadow, with Democrats hoping to harness anti-Trump sentiment in the Democrat-dominated state to propel Ms. Sherrill to victory.
Meanwhile, Republicans are hoping that Mr. Trump has helped remake the electorate, opening the door for Mr. Ciattarelli to emerge victorious.
Ms. Sherrill criticized Mr. Trump’s decision to deploy National Guard troops to U.S. cities for immigration enforcement, calling the move “illegal.”
“Military members should not be on our streets,” she said. “It makes people feel less safe.”
In contrast, Mr. Ciattarelli pledged that under his leadership, New Jersey would not require National Guard intervention because “as governor, we will have safe communities.”
“We are going to be a law-and-order state again,” he said, before vowing to get rid of sanctuary cities and cashless bail, which he said have encouraged crime in New Jersey.
Mr. Ciattarelli is looking to build on his surprisingly strong performance in the 2021 gubernatorial race, when he came within four percentage points of unseating Mr. Murphy.
That result stunned political observers, many of whom had been focused on Virginia’s high-profile governor’s race, where Republican Glenn Youngkin defeated former Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat.
This year, the gubernatorial race in New Jersey is getting more attention and polls show the race in New Jersey is tight.
Mr. Ciattarelli is running a more competitive campaign than Virginia’s Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, who trails Democrat Abigail Spanberger by double-digits.
The New Jersey race recently took an unexpected turn when the National Archives released a largely unredacted version of Ms. Sherrill’s military record to a Ciattarelli supporter.
The release, which is under investigation, revived scrutiny of a 1994 cheating scandal at the U.S. Naval Academy, where more than 100 midshipmen were implicated in misconduct on a final electrical engineering exam.
Ms. Sherrill, who has not been accused of cheating, addressed the issue in Wednesday’s debate. She said she was barred from walking in her graduation ceremony because “ I didn’t turn in some of my classmates.”
She emphasized the episode should not overshadow her record as a commissioned Navy officer, helicopter pilot, and policy analyst, noting she earned “numerous awards and commendations.”
Turning the focus back on her rival, Ms. Sherrill questioned Mr. Ciattarelli’s role in the leak and why he refuses to take any responsibility for the records being leaked to the news media.
“He acted as if he had no idea what his campaign was doing,” she said. “Either he’s really incompetent or he’s lying.”
Mr. Ciattarelli countered that Ms. Sherrill bears responsibility for clarifying her role in the episode and urged her to release her disciplinary records to dispel lingering doubts.
“At the last debate, Mikie said that she was the most transparent gubernatorial candidate of all time,” he said. “If she’s so transparent, then approve the release of her disciplinary records at the Naval Academy, so we can know why she was punished.”
Mr. Ciattarelli said her explanation is fishy.
“I think she was punished for something else, and so I think she needs to come clean,” he said.
In another heated exchange, Ms. Sherrill accused Mr. Ciattarelli of profiting from ties to pharmaceutical companies linked to the opioid crisis.
“As he made millions, as these opioid companies made billions, tens of thousands of New Jerseyans died,” she said. Mr. Ciattarelli snapped back, “first of all, shame on you.”
He then pivoted back to border security, accusing her of ignoring the border crisis under President Biden, which he said allowed drug cartels to flood the country with deadly fentanyl.
“She supported those open border policies,” he said, before stressing that he “got to walk at my college graduation.”
