New Jersey governor debate: Sherrill and Ciattarelli clash over taxes, energy costs and state’s future

Democrat Mikie Sherrill and Republican Jack Ciattarelli debated tax policy, energy and electricity costs, immigration, and how to make New Jersey livable, turning a debate at Rider University into a referendum on affordability and competence.

• Why it matters: New Jersey’s next governor will steer taxes, energy costs, and transit in one of America’s most expensive states — and both candidates say they can make it affordable again.
• Driving the news: The 90-minute, ELEC-sanctioned town hall began late amid Route 206 gridlock and pro-Palestinian protests; moderators pressed on taxes, energy, immigration, schools, and NJ Transit.
• The big picture: Sherrill pitched cost-cutting pragmatism and “Day One” rate-hike freezes; Ciattarelli promised a CEO-style overhaul, tax cuts, and a crackdown on “overdevelopment and sprawl.”
• By the numbers: Ciattarelli contrasted Pennsylvania with New Jersey when it comes to taxes, proposed tax-free retirement income, and two tax-free years of post-school earnings proposed three new tax brackets, 3% 4% and 5%. Sherrill offered permitting dashboards, shared services, and district consolidation to lower costs.
• What they’re saying:
  • Sherrill: “On Day One, I will declare a state of emergency on energy costs … freezing your rate hikes.”
  • Ciattarelli: “We are not raising the sales tax… Winners don’t lie, and liars don’t win.”
  • Ciattarelli on sprawl: “We’re paving over paradise… This is an overdevelopment crisis.”
  • Sherrill on immigration: “As a federal prosecutor, I deported violent offenders — but we have to follow the Constitution.”
• Energy split: Sherrill blames PJM and promises rate freezes; Ciattarelli would pull New Jersey from RGGI “day one,” repower fossil plants, expand nuclear and put solar on warehouse roofs.
• Schools: He says New Jersey slipped “from No. 2 to No. 12” and wants more vocational training; she says too much money “is going to administration,” backs mergers and facility fixes.
• Public safety & services: Sherrill touts Gateway Tunnel wins and an online-first MVC; Ciattarelli wants a single State Transportation Authority and “everyone back to work.”
• Between the lines: Sherrill ties Ciattarelli to Trump on tariffs and costs; he paints her as tax-friendly and “short on specifics.”
• What to watch: The lieutenant governor debate (Sept. 30) and the second Sherrill–Ciattarelli debate (Oct. 8) — and whether either can convince voters they’ll actually cut bills, not just talk about it.

Democrat Mikie Sherrill and Republican Jack Ciattarelli faced off Sunday night in their first general election debate for governor of New Jersey. The 90-minute debate highlighted deep divisions over taxes, energy, immigration, and the role of government, while underscoring the intense political climate surrounding the race.

The central question of the night: Who can make New Jersey affordable again, and whose vision do voters trust to deliver it?

The debate — sanctioned by the state Election Law Enforcement Commission and held at Rider University — began about 15 minutes late as debate traffic clogged Route 206. At Rider, protesters lined the road into the parking lot to denounce Israel’s bombing of Palestinians. Security was heavy, with state police blocking off one campus entrance.

Moderator David Wildstein of the New Jersey Globe was joined by Micah Rasmussen of Rider’s Rebovich Institute, Sophie Nieto-Muñoz of the New Jersey Monitor, and Laura Jones of On New Jersey. The debate was the first of two ELEC-mandated showdowns under the state’s gubernatorial public financing program.

Affordability takes center stage

Sherrill, a Navy helicopter pilot turned federal prosecutor and North Jersey congresswoman, cast herself as a “different kind of governor” focused on practical solutions. “On Day One I will declare a state of emergency on energy costs … freezing your rate hikes,” she said in her opening remarks. “There’s a clear choice: I will defend your freedoms, lower your costs, and stand up for the people of this state.”

Ciattarelli, a former assemblyman, accountant, and Somerset County businessman who narrowly lost the 2021 governor’s race, framed his candidacy around what he called four crises: An affordability crisis, a public education crisis, a public safety crisis, and an overdevelopment crisis. He described New Jersey as a state where residents feel trapped between rising costs and an unresponsive government. “We need a hands-on CEO governor who will very responsibly and surgically reduce the size and cost of state government,” he said.

Taxes dominated much of the back-and-forth. Ciattarelli outlined a sweeping plan to cut property and income taxes, including exempting retirement income, freezing property taxes at age 70, and making young workers’ first two years of post-college income tax-free. He also promised to simplify the state income tax to three brackets of 3%, 4%, and 5%.

“We are not raising the sales tax,” he said flatly, blasting Sherrill’s campaign ad suggesting otherwise. “It’s a lie. Winners don’t lie, and liars don’t win.”

Sherrill avoided an ironclad pledge on sales or income taxes, insisting instead she would be “fiscally responsible with your money” while lowering costs overall. “Jack Ciattarelli has raised taxes at every level of government,” she said. “I will lower your costs and ensure your kids have great opportunities.”

Energy policies collide

The two candidates offered starkly different visions for New Jersey’s energy future. Sherrill attacked the state’s reliance on PJM, the regional grid operator, and said New Jersey needs to “add massive amounts of power into the grid” while holding utilities accountable for what she called excessive profits. “On Day One, I will freeze your energy rate hikes,” she said.

Ciattarelli derided that proposal as meaningless and said even the governor doesn’t see how she would have the power to freeze energy costs. “So we’re going to freeze them at their highest levels ever?” he said. He vowed to pull New Jersey out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative “on day one” and blasted Democrats for betting it all on wind.

“Air is no cleaner, electricity is only more expensive, and ratepayer dollars go to other states,” he said. He called for repowering shuttered fossil plants, boosting nuclear generation, and putting solar on the rooftops of warehouses.

Education and development disputes

“We’ve slipped from number two to number 12 on the national report card,” Ciattarelli said. “We’re graduating illiterate children.” He promised a new funding formula to reduce property taxes and called for expanding vocational training and “getting back to teaching critical life skills.”

Sherrill, citing failing facilities in Montclair and Paterson, argued that too much money “is going to administration right now” and pledged to consolidate districts and redirect funds to classrooms. “We need to invest in our kids, not bureaucracies,” she said.

Ciattarelli tied the education issue to what he described as unchecked sprawl. “We’re overdeveloping,” he said. “We’re paving over paradise, destroying what makes New Jersey special. And it’s not just traffic and congestion — it’s the stress on our schools, our water supply, our quality of life. This is an overdevelopment crisis.” He vowed to impose stricter state planning standards to protect open space and farmland, arguing that sprawl drives up local taxes and erodes communities.

Immigration and public safety

The candidates clashed sharply on immigration. Ciattarelli promised his first executive order would be to rescind the state’s Immigrant Trust Directive, which limits local cooperation with federal civil immigration enforcement. “We’re going to end sanctuary state policies that restrict our police,” he said, adding that undocumented immigrants increase costs in schools and health care.

Sherrill avoided a direct yes or no when asked if she would keep the directive, but insisted her approach was grounded in law. “As a federal prosecutor, I deported violent offenders,” she said. “But we have to follow the Constitution and make sure our police are keeping people safe.” She pledged to bar masked, unidentified officers from patrolling New Jersey streets.

Transportation and daily frustrations

Sherrill highlighted her support for the Gateway Tunnel project and Amtrak repairs, saying she would modernize the MVC by expanding online services and appointment slots. “You shouldn’t have to take a day off work just to get your license renewed,” she said.

Ciattarelli said the solution was structural. “I will create a State Transportation Authority with one management structure, one budget stream,” he said. “We can’t have NJ Transit, DOT, Turnpike Authority, and others all going in different directions.”

After the debate

In a post-debate press gaggle, Ciattarelli doubled down on his tax message, saying for small businesses, “the first $100,000 of income will be tax-free … watch entrepreneurship take off in New Jersey.” He also repeated his attacks on Sherrill’s energy plan. “Not a single Democratic legislator has endorsed her plan. Not a single one. It’s illegitimate, it’s not feasible, and it’s illegal.”

He returned to his theme of overdevelopment, warning that unchecked growth was eroding the quality of life. “Everywhere you look — whether it’s Main Street congestion, school overcrowding, or environmental damage — the problem is the same: we are overdeveloping, and it’s driving people out of New Jersey,” he said.

Sherrill, for her part, rejected claims she would raise taxes. “Look, I didn’t put that on the table — Jack Ciattarelli did,” she told reporters. She emphasized her plan to cut red tape for small businesses, recounting the story of a woman who tried for months to open a restaurant but faced repeated delays and fees. “We need a dashboard, a fast-track center, a get-to-yes culture in Trenton,” she said.

On immigration, she repeated that her administration would “follow the law and the Constitution” while seeking comprehensive reform. She also cast Ciattarelli as dangerously aligned with Trump. “He continues to support a President who has cut shore funding, defunded Planned Parenthood, and put small businesses at risk with tariffs,” she said.

What’s next

In her closing statement, Sherrill invoked her résumé: “I’ve been a helicopter pilot, a prosecutor, a member of Congress and a mom of four. I will work every day to lower costs and defend your freedoms.”

Ciattarelli told a family story and said the governor’s office would be his “final destination.” “We’ll work in partnership with the Legislature,” he said. “We’ll fix the state of New Jersey.”

Sunday’s debate was the first of two ELEC-sanctioned gubernatorial debates. A lieutenant governor debate between Republican James Gannon and Democrat Dale Caldwell is set for Sept. 30 at Kean University. Sherrill and Ciattarelli will meet again Oct. 8 at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center, in a debate moderated by Philadelphia anchor Tamala Edwards and WABC’s Bill Ritter.