In a fiery opening to New Jersey’s 2025 gubernatorial contest, Democrat Mikie Sherrill and Republican Jack Ciattarelli squared off in their first debate at Rider University on September 21. The 90-minute town hall, hosted by Rider and co-sponsored by the New Jersey Globe and On New Jersey, was anything but tame. Taxes, energy, education, public safety, and a cascade of personal accusations took center stage as the candidates vied to define the state’s future—and each other’s character.
Sherrill, a Navy veteran, former federal prosecutor, and sitting congresswoman, opened with a pledge to be “a different kind of governor”—one who would freeze utility rate hikes, streamline permitting, and bring a new level of accountability to Trenton. She wasted no time painting Ciattarelli as a career politician, claiming he had “voted to raise your taxes” and “would do whatever Trump tells him to do.”
Ciattarelli, a former state assemblyman making his second run for governor, countered with a sweeping indictment of New Jersey’s status quo. “There’s an affordability crisis … a public education crisis … a public safety crisis … and an overdevelopment crisis,” he declared. “We are the worst place in the country in which to do business.” The crowd, made up of voters and journalists, was treated to a debate that was as much about policy as it was about personality—and trust.
Affordability and Taxes: Contrasts and Clashes
Few topics loomed larger than affordability. Ciattarelli rolled out a suite of proposals: making retirement income tax-free, freezing property taxes for seniors over 70, capping property taxes for first-time homebuyers, and overhauling the income tax system with three brackets at 3%, 4%, and 5%. He pledged not to raise the sales tax, a promise he hammered home repeatedly.
Sherrill, for her part, pointed to existing programs like Anchor and Stay New Jersey, which aim to help seniors stay in their homes, and suggested consolidating administrative costs in schools and municipal courts. When pressed on whether she’d commit to not raising the sales tax, she demurred, citing a looming $5 billion budget shortfall due to federal cuts. “I will be fiscally responsible with your money,” she said, but stopped short of an ironclad pledge.
Energy, Climate, and the Cost of Power
Energy policy sparked heated exchanges. Ciattarelli blamed current Governor Phil Murphy’s energy policies for plant closures and rising electricity rates, vowing to reopen shuttered plants, expand nuclear power, accelerate rooftop solar, and withdraw New Jersey from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which he called “a failure.”
Sherrill countered by promising to declare a state of emergency to freeze rate hikes, arguing that utilities were profiting while families struggled. She pledged to increase in-state power generation and hold PJM, the regional grid operator, to account. On climate, Ciattarelli acknowledged human-driven impacts but advocated for a slower, “all-of-the-above” transition, with natural gas as a bridge fuel. Sherrill, meanwhile, highlighted her congressional record on environmental policy and vowed to cut carbon emissions while preserving open space.
Education: Reform or Regionalization?
On education, the candidates’ differences were stark. Ciattarelli pushed for a “high-impact curriculum” focused on core skills, warning that students not at grade level by eighth grade risked being “underemployed their entire life.” He also advocated for more school choice through vouchers and charter schools.
Sherrill supported regionalizing some of New Jersey’s more than 600 school districts and, where inefficiency persisted, potentially mandating consolidation. She promised high-intensity tutoring to address pandemic learning loss and a renewed focus on phonics in early grades. On the issue of school segregation, Sherrill said she would address disparities in resources and outcomes, while Ciattarelli argued that integration alone wouldn’t fix educational shortcomings without curriculum reform.
Political Violence and Safety: A Question of Hate
The debate inevitably turned to national anxieties in the wake of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination. When asked if political violence should be classified as a hate crime, both candidates agreed in principle, but with different emphases. Sherrill, noting threats against herself and her family, stressed the importance of free speech and increased protection: “We should be able to have free speech … but it should never devolve into political violence.”
Ciattarelli took a firmer stance: “Yes, I believe we should do that here in New Jersey,” he said, urging all candidates to avoid divisive rhetoric. The exchange grew tense as Ciattarelli accused Sherrill of dodging the question and invoked her criticism of Kirk after his death. Sherrill shot back, calling it “a neat trick” to call for unity while using a divisive example, and reiterated her long-standing opposition to political violence.
Culture Wars and Social Issues
Cultural debates weren’t far behind. On children’s online safety, Ciattarelli pivoted to denounce school gender identity policies: “If we’re concerned about protecting kids, I don’t think biological boys should be playing in girls’ sports.” Sherrill, a mother of four, responded that parental involvement is key but insisted schools must address mental health and safety: “As parents, it’s our job to make sure we’re keeping our kids safe at every level.”
On vaccines, Sherrill warned that falling immunization rates were putting children at risk for preventable diseases like measles and pertussis. Ciattarelli said he supports standard vaccine schedules but again shifted focus to gender policies and parental notification, which Sherrill dismissed as political deflection.
Transit, Housing, and Technology
Transportation and housing also made the agenda. Sherrill touted her work on the Gateway Tunnel and rail upgrades, vowing to modernize NJ Transit. Ciattarelli proposed consolidating agencies into a Garden State Transportation Authority for “better management and accountability.” On housing, Sherrill promised to crack down on rental price collusion and expand affordable units, while Ciattarelli blamed high rents on property taxes, insurance, and energy costs, promising structural tax changes.
Asked about artificial intelligence, Ciattarelli warned of “social manipulation and job loss,” while Sherrill described the dangers of deepfakes and pledged to implement guardrails on AI while expanding STEM and vocational education.
Ethics, Wealth, and the Politics of Disclosure
Perhaps the sharpest attacks came on the subject of ethics and personal wealth. Ciattarelli hammered Sherrill over her finances, claiming, “In the seven years that she’s been in Congress, she’s TRIPLED her net worth!” and accused her of trading defense stocks while serving on the House Armed Services Committee. According to the New York Post and VINnews, Sherrill’s net worth rose from an upper bound of $4.3 million in 2019 to $11.3 million as of August 2025—a $7 million increase. She was fined $400 in 2021 for failing to disclose up to $350,000 in UBS stock sales within the required 45-day window under the federal STOCK Act. Sherrill’s camp insists her increased wealth is due largely to her husband’s compensation as a UBS executive and the purchase of a Washington, DC residence in 2021, which she rents to fellow former congresswoman Abigail Spanberger.
Sherrill responded to the attacks in the debate and in media interviews, insisting, “I, I, uh, also don’t trade individual stocks. It’s been widely reported. I’ve, uh, I, my husband doesn’t trade, we don’t trade individual stocks.” She explained that all disclosed trades were related to her husband’s compensation, and that in early 2020, she and her husband sold their entire stock portfolio and replaced it with exchange-traded funds to avoid any appearance of conflict. Still, Republican groups and the Republican Governors Association have kept up the pressure, framing her asset gains as evidence of ethical lapses.
The Road Ahead
The next few weeks will be pivotal. Two more debates are scheduled: a Lieutenant Governor debate on September 30 at Kean University and a second gubernatorial debate on October 8 at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center. Election Day is November 4, but mail-in ballots are already on their way, and early in-person voting opens October 25. The deadline to register is October 14. Recent polls, including a RealClearPolitics aggregate, show Sherrill leading by 8.8 points, though an internal Ciattarelli poll claims he’s surged ahead by a single point—underscoring just how much is at stake as New Jersey heads into the home stretch of a race that’s as personal as it is political.
With policy differences and personal accusations both in play, New Jersey voters have no shortage of contrasts to consider as they prepare to cast their ballots.
