NJ Governor Hopefuls Make Divergent Pitches On Campaign Trail

By Nikita Biryukov, New Jersey Monitor

September 3, 2025

Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill and Republican former Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli made their pitches to disparate groups of voters Thursday in their bids to be the Garden State’s next governor.

Ciattarelli, the GOP’s nominee for the second consecutive gubernatorial cycle, spoke at a Moms for Liberty Rally in Jersey City, where he renewed his opposition to state guidance that allows school districts to accept students’ asserted gender identities without notifying parents.

“That policy is immoral, it’s indecent, it’s wrong, and it’s dangerous. Our students are best served when school districts and parents work in partnership, not in secret,” Ciattarelli said.

The policy, called for by a 2017 law signed by Gov. Chris Christie, was a major focus for Republican candidates and groups in 2023’s legislative races. Ciattarelli pledged he would end the policy shortly after taking office if elected.

“Over the last eight years, parental rights have been under assault here in New Jersey. This is why we have elections,” Ciattarelli said. “It all ends January of 2026 when we win this election.”

GOP gubernatorial hopeful Jack Ciattarelli speaking at a Moms for Liberty event in Jersey City on Aug. 28, 2025. (Photo by New Jersey Monitor)

Sherrill’s stops focused on economics. At businesses in Edison, Clarksboro, and Haddonfield, among others, she discussed the impact of the Trump administration’s tariffs on New Jersey businesses.

At Death of the Fox Brewing Company in Clarksboro, a craft brewery and coffee roastery, she noted how the tariffs on Brazil, a major exporter of coffee and beef to the United States, were affecting New Jersey businesses.

“The frustrating part for the business owner is these political fights. It’s not necessarily ‘here’s why’ or ‘here’s the targeted plan and here’s how it’s going to impact us,’” she said. “It’s all passed along to small businesses.”

Tariffs are a type of tax on foreign goods paid by importers. When tariff rates rise, U.S. businesses must pay more to import goods from other countries. The United States levies a 50% tariff rate on some goods from Brazil, one of the steepest rates levied on any economy in the Trump administration’s trade war.

The costs added by tariffs would soon be passed down to consumers, Sherrill warned.

“The thing I’ve been most concerned about — what I’ve been hearing from economists and now I’m hearing on the ground — is we’re going to start raising prices. We’re already in an affordability crisis, and worse is coming thanks to the federal government.”

Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, is barred from seeking a third term in November. Public polls of the race to succeed him show Sherrill, who first joined Congress in 2019, leading Ciattarelli.

New Jersey Monitor, the Garden State’s newest news site, provides fair and tough reporting on the issues affecting New Jersey, from political corruption to education to criminal and social justice. The Monitor is part of States Newsroom, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit supported by grants and a coalition of donors and readers.