What to watch for in the opening debate in the race for New Jersey governor

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LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. (AP) — Democrat Mikie Sherrill and Republican Jack Ciattarelli are set for their opening debate in the governor’s race in New Jersey, one of just two states with the top office on the ballot this fall in elections viewed as a gauge of how voters feel about President Donald Trump’s second term.

The town-hall style debate Sunday night will give Sherrill, a four-term congresswoman, and Ciattarelli, a former state Assembly member, the opportunity to confront one another directly after criticizing each other from afar in what is expected to be a close contest. For voters, it is a chance to take stock of what each candidate is offering in the campaign.

New Jersey is a reliably Democratic-leaning state in presidential and U.S. Senate races. But the state has swung between Republicans and Democrats during its odd-year gubernatorial elections. For decades, the nominee from the party opposite of the president’s has won the governor’s race. Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy veered from that pattern in 2021 when he won reelection narrowly over Ciattarelli, now in his third campaign for governor. Murphy is term limited.

Republicans are hoping that voters are tired of eight years of Democratic-led government and eager to build on Trump’s improved performance in 2024 in a state where he has deep connections. Democrats are cautiously optimistic that they have settled on the best candidate, a Navy veteran and former prosecutor who has won in Republican-leaning areas, and that the Republican president will weigh down his party.

Virginia also is holding statewide elections this year.

Here’s what to watch during the debate at Rider University.

Ciattarelli was once critical of Trump but has become a stalwart supporter. During this year’s primary, the president embraced Ciattarelli, holding a telephone town hall for him and saying Ciattarelli is “ALL IN” on his “Make America Great Again” agenda.

That support helped carry Ciattarelli to a commanding primary victory. But Sherrill is using the endorsement against Ciattarelli, saying he would bring Trump’s policies to the state. It’s an argument she is likely to hammer on Sunday.

Ciattarelli says Sherrill only wants to discuss Trump and not New Jersey issues. Asked whether he has requested the president’s help by appearing in the state, Ciattarelli said he is in touch with the White House and that all options are on the table, while adding that his campaign knows what it is doing.

Trump lost New Jersey three times, though he performed better in 2024 than in those previous elections.

Republicans, including Ciattarelli, have worked to link Democrats to the party’s nominee for New York City mayor. Zohran Mamdani is a self-described democratic socialist who is portrayed by the GOP as radically liberal. Expect his name to come up in the debate.

Ciattarelli has run digital ads showing video from an interview in which Sherrill was asked if she would back Mamdani’s general election campaign. She said that were Mamdani to be the nominee, “I assume I will.” Sherrill has more recently said she is not wading into the contest and that New York City voters should decide the race.

Less clear is how Sherrill might counter Ciattarelli’s efforts to link her to Murphy and the Democrat-led Legislature.

She has promised new transparency measures as part of the budget and, differing from Murphy, has said she would sign an executive order freezing utility rate increases.

Potential differences in personal style will matter as the candidates look to reintroduce themselves to voters.

While campaigning, Sherrill focuses on her background as a Naval Academy graduate and helicopter pilot for the service. She was a federal prosecutor before being elected to Congress in 2018 in a longtime Republican-held district in northern New Jersey. She is often easygoing with voters, but can be cautious at times.

Ciattarelli, a candidate for nearly a decade, is comfortable talking about issues and appears to connect comfortably with people. He often plays up his family’s roots in New Jersey, which he says go back a century. A certified public accountant, he owned a medical publishing company that he sold in 2017. He was a local and state elected leader before running for governor in 2017 and 2021.

Both candidates have four children.

Rising costs are likely to be a focus. The candidates disagree on what is to blame.

Sherrill has linked Ciattarelli to higher prices, blaming tariffs imposed by the White House on imports. Ciattarelli has tied New Jersey’s high tax rates to the Democrats who have run state government in recent years. Both candidates leave little room for nuance.

New Jersey utility ratepayers have seen their bills spike due to higher costs from grid operators. Sherrill has called for a freeze on any rate increases. Ciattarelli has said he would ban offshore wind and redraw and energy master plans to include more sources of power.