New Jersey's Republican candidates for governor debated. Here's what they said

Yahoo

05-02-2025

Two days after their counterparts across the aisle gathered to debate, the hopefuls for New Jersey's Republican gubernatorial nomination debated at Rider University Tuesday.
Hosted by the New Jersey Globe, On New Jersey and the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University, the event featured four candidates, though another, former Englewood Cliffs Mayor Mario Kranjac, entered the race on Monday.
The proceedings were considerably livelier than Sunday night's Democratic debate. The four candidates came out swinging and did not hold back with made attacks on one another a major feature of the evening.
Throughout the debate, former Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli and radio personality Bill Spadea accused each other of lying and being owned by corporate interests.
Arguments about who has supported President Donald Trump longer finally got to the point where state Sen. Jon Bramnick, a Never Trumper, remarked the debate should be about 'who loves New Jersey the most — not who loves Donald Trump.'
State Sen. Jon Bramnick, 71, has served in the Legislature for decades, first in the Assembly and now in the state Senate. He's also a lawyer and a stand-up comedian.
On day one: 'I would end sanctuary states for real simple reason. If we're a Iaw-and-order state, we have to follow law and order … I feel very badly about certain people having been here for 30 years and this is their life, but we have to follow the law as the government of this state.'
On the political establishment: 'We have corruption in this state, so you need to appoint an attorney general who will make sure that he roots out corruption, same with the United States Attorney, but this concept of 'deep state,' those are the kind of terms that you throw out there and what are you talking about? Corruption? Yes, we have corruption and we need to address that but deep state because someone has been elected to the Legislature for a while, all the sudden they are in the deep state. That's that mythology that I think you hear on cable TV."
Closing statement: 'The facts are still the facts. My friend, Bill Spadea, hasn't won an election. He's lost elections. Jack has already been rejected by the voters on two occasions, so it doesn't make sense to go back for a third time when they've already rejected him. My friend, Ed the Trucker, he came in for two years and then he lost. I have a consistent record of winning in districts that are dominated by Democrats and dominated by independent voters.'
Former Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli, 63, served in the state Assembly and in county and local government. He initially called Trump a "charlatan" in 2015 but later endorsed Trump and in 2020 spoke at a "Stop the Steal" rally promoting the false conspiracy that voter fraud put Democrat Joe Biden in office, though Ciattarelli has not publicly endorsed it.
One day one: 'Executive order number one no town in this state will be a sanctuary city and we will not be a sanctuary state. Executive order number two, our 65,000 state workers are coming back to work … also on day one I call for the resignation of all those that sit on the state board of education.'
On the political establishment: '[Gov.] Phil Murphy as a CEO has been MIA as has his administration and when that happens mid-level bureaucrats in Trenton and during his tenure have become a police state and collection agencies instead of partners.'
Closing statement: 'We've got crises in this state and we need a serious candidate, a serious candidate who brings very positive energy to campaign, who is going to get up and down the state and unlike my two opponents, raise money to win the election.'
Former state Sen. Ed Durr, 61, made nationally headlines when he unseated then state Senate President Steve Sweeney in 2021. He served one term and lost his re-election bid. He's also a truck driver.
On day one: 'Everything that Gov. [Phil] Murphy made in executive orders, I'd rescind starting with his COVID lockdown orders to his sanctuary state orders, removing employees because they didn't take the COVID shot. All of it's gone, day one.'
On the political establishment: 'We have guys here who have been in the system for years. We have people who've been part of the system who are running other campaigns. This is a cabal for lack of a better term that has controlled New Jersey and they like the status quo.'
Closing statement: 'I plan on shocking the establishment again by becoming governor with your help. It's no secret New Jersey has an affordability problem. I'm regular guy. I'm just like you and the working class has been crushed by high taxes in New Jersey. Democrats don't know how to fix it and the establishment don't want to fix it. The only way to fix New Jersey is by doing something different and I'm different."
What they said: New Jersey's Democratic candidates for governor debated
Former radio personality Bill Spadea, 55, became a household name hosting a morning show on New Jersey 101.5 where he was often an outspoken critic of elected officials, including Gov. Phil Murphy's handling of the pandemic. He unsuccessfully ran for Congress and the state Legislature.
On day one: 'We're going to rescind the 2018 executive order and get rid of the sanctuary state. We're going to rescind the 2019 immigrant trust directive. We're going to issue a series of executive orders, we've got five already written, to stop phase four of this high density housing nonsense that is crushing our suburban communities.'
On the political establishment: 'You have to ask yourself why Jack Ciattarelli … he and his corporate lobbyist buddies… all of these deep pockets back room elites have spent millions of dollars attacking me and you know why? Because I started a group called Elect Common Cents and Elect Common Cents raised a million dollars in 10 months and our average donation was $11.14.'
Closing statement: 'I'm going to commit to you tonight to serve one term as your governor because we have to separate the politics of reelection from the job of governing and when you look at what has to happen in this state, a lot of unpopular political decisions will be made. It's going to be a tough, tough road and that's why I'm making that commitment."
Katie Sobko covers the New Jersey Statehouse. Email: [e-mail]
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ Republican governor candidates debate: What they said