NJ Gov. Debate: When, How To Watch Murphy, Ciattarelli Face Off

NEW JERSEY — According to recent polls, New Jersey Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli has some ground to make up with five weeks to go before Election Day.

He will get that chance beginning Tuesday night, when he and Gov. Phil Murphy face off in the first debate of the 2021 New Jersey gubernatorial race at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark at 7 p.m.

The debate will air on WABC-TV in North Jersey, WPVI-TV in South Jersey, Univision, WHYY Radio and WCTC Radio. It will also stream on nj.com, 6abc.com, abc7ny.com, ABC’s streaming apps and TV apps used by Android TV, Apple TV, Fire, Hulu and Roku devices.

Ciattarelli has come out swinging against Murphy when it comes to taxes. He and running mate Diane Allen have emphasized a phrase Murphy used in a 2019 speech to Glassboro business owners, when the Democratic incumbent said, “If you’re a one-issue voter and tax rate is your issue, either a family or a business, if that’s the only basis upon which you’re going to make a decision, we’re probably not your state.”

But New Jersey residents have shown strong support for Murphy, particularly when it comes to his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. A recent Monmouth poll puts Murphy over Ciattarelli by 13 points at 51 percent to 38 percent. Read more here: Latest Poll: Murphy Has Big Lead, Ciattarelli Says Race Is Close

Voters said they trust Murphy more to handle the pandemic, by a margin of 53 percent to 23 percent. Ciattarelli does hold the edge on taxes, where voters favor him by 39 percent to 33 percent. Ciattatelli has a slight edge on business, while Murphy holds a slight edge when it comes to handling crime.

The recent poll is a slight change over the August poll, when voters favored Murphy by 52 percent to 36 percent, overall. Read more here: Murphy Leads Over Ciattarelli, 52 To 36, In Latest Poll

A Rutgers-Eagleton poll released in June said the election is "Murphy's to lose," with 52 percent of registered voters saying they'd cast ballots for the incumbent governor and just 26 percent saying they'd choose Ciattarelli. Read more here: NJ Gov. Candidate: $490K Debate Fundraising Quota Is A ‘Travesty’

Ciattarelli's campaign spokesperson Stami Williams told Patch the campaign is focused on two other polls that were released, one by the Ciattarelli campaign and one by Club for Growth PAC, "that places the race in the margin of error."

According to a Ciattarelli September campaign poll, the Republican candidate trails Murphy by three points, 42 percent to 45 percent.

The Club for Growth PAC poll puts Murphy in the lead over Ciattarelli, 43 percent - 41 percent, also within the margin of error.

Ciattarelli used the sexual assault allegations against a worker on Murphy’s 2017 campaign as the focus of three ads, but Katie Brennan and the National Organization for Women of New Jersey asked the campaign to remove those ads, according to NJ Spotlight.

A digital ad Ciattarelli released in July focused on the recent rise in crime under Murphy, and what Ciattarelli feels is an "anti-police" agenda. Read more here: Point Beach Mayor Speaks In Support Of New Ciattarelli Digital Ad

Murphy’s ads have focused on a speech Ciattarelli gave at a “Stop the Steal” rally, which Ciattarelli said he didn’t know what the purpose of the rally was, according to NJ Spotlight. Murphy’s commercials have also focused on his own record, and the candidates’ stances on abortion, gun safety and voting rights.

Tuesday’s debate is the first of three debates in this year’s race. Murphy and Ciattarelli will debate again on Oct. 12 in Glassboro. That debate will air on PBS.

In the interim, Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver and Allen will debate in Lawrenceville on Oct. 5. Election Day is Nov. 2.

Under state law, gubernatorial candidates that receive public financing for their campaigns must participate in two ELEC-sanctioned debates. Their lieutenant governor running mates must take part in a third ELEC-approved debate. Also under the law, debates must be held between Sept. 21 and Oct. 22. Read more here: 'Big Money' Rules NJ Governor Debates, Third-Party Candidates Say

With reporting by Samantha Mercado and Eric Kiefer, Patch Staff

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