Newark Airport, NJ Transit issues discussed at New Jersey Republican gubernatorial debate
The contenders sparred on hot-button issues, including immigration, affordability, fixing NJ Transit and the recent problems at Newark Liberty International Airport.
Candidates support Trump's agenda
Former gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli, state Sen. Jon Bramnick, and former radio and TV host Bill Spadea each fought for GOP support and welcomed the backing of President Trump.
"Two million people voted for Donald Trump. He's done right by New Jersey with the wind farms, congestion pricing. Yes," Ciattarelli said.
"If the president of the United States decides that Jon Bramnick's his man, hey, thank you very much," Bramnick said.
"As the only guy here who's been with Trump, supporting him since the escalator in 2015, absolutely," Spadea said.
President Trump had a strong showing in New Jersey in November, losing the state by just 6 points, and that had the candidates explaining what they would do regarding the administration's agenda on immigration.
"I will follow the lead of what Tom Homan and the president have set out, and yes, we'll use the state police and the National Guard if necessary to deport criminal aliens," Spadea said.
When asked if there was a middle ground, Spadea said, "There's always a middle ground."
"Bad guys, they should be deported. There are people that have to be deported ... I'm not getting in front of ICE, but I'll tell you this, everyone deserves a hearing," Bramnick said.
"The president's first goal is to make the country safe again. He's gotta do that by securing the border," Ciattarelli said.
Gubernatorial candidates address mass transit issues
The debate came as NJ Transit is negotiating to try to avert a possible labor strike, and Newark Airport is facing flight chaos. Each candidate was asked what a governor could do.
"Apparently for many years, the FAA has allowed the infrastructure at Newark not to keep up with modern technology," Bramnick said.
"Why don't we have our air traffic controllers working 12-hour shifts? Our cops and our nurses both work 12-hour shifts. Right now, these guys are limited to 10 hours," Spadea said.
"I believe leadership makes a difference. With competent leadership, we can fix our mass transit systems," Ciattarelli said.
New Jersey voters will have only a few more weeks to make up their minds.
The Democratic gubernatorial debate will be held on Sunday, May 18, in Newark.
Both the Republican and Democratic primaries will be held June 10.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
a few seconds ago
- Yahoo
Zelenskiy dons more formal attire for high-stakes meeting with Trump
By Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The last time Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visited the White House, his dark military-style outfit drew scorn from U.S. President Donald Trump, who wears suits every day. Zelenskiy's garb at that February meeting featured in a disastrous session with Trump in which the two leaders bickered and the Ukrainian president was escorted out of the White House early, without lunch. On Monday, with his country facing pressure to accept a peace deal to end Europe's deadliest war in 80 years, Zelenskiy showed up for his talks with Trump wearing more formal attire. The black-on-black ensemble, sans tie, wasn't exactly a suit, but it seemed to please Trump all the same. A reporter who had asked Zelenskiy in February why he was not wearing a suit complimented the Ukraine leader on the attire he chose for his latest Oval Office session with Trump. "You look fabulous in that suit," the reporter said. Trump chimed in: "I said the same thing." This time, Zelenskiy got in a good-natured dig. "You're wearing the same suit," he told the reporter, drawing laughter. "I changed." The media-savvy Ukrainian leader had worn military-type outfits to show solidarity with the troops fighting Russian invaders since Moscow's 2022 full-scale invasion. But after the February meeting with Trump, Zelenskiy switched to a more formal wardrobe. When the two leaders met at Pope Francis's funeral in Rome in April, the Ukrainian president wore a heavy black field jacket and black shirt buttoned to the collar, with no tie. The negative focus on Zelenskiy's attire at the White House was widely criticized at the time by Ukrainians, who have largely rallied around their leader since Moscow's invasion. (Reporting By Steve HollandEditing by Colleen Jenkins and Alistair Bell)
Fast Company
a minute ago
- Fast Company
Trump wants to change voting. The Constitution was designed to protect it from people like him
President Donald Trump has big plans for redesigning the way states hold elections ahead of the 2026 midterms, calling for a nationwide end to mail-in ballots and voting machines on Monday. The U.S. Constitution stands in his way. In a new post on his social network Truth Social, Trump wrote that he was 'going to lead a movement to get rid of MAIL-IN BALLOTS' as well as voting machines, which he called 'Highly 'Inaccurate'' and 'Seriously Controversial.' 'ELECTIONS CAN NEVER BE HONEST WITH MAIL IN BALLOTS/VOTING, and everybody, IN PARTICULAR THE DEMOCRATS, KNOWS THIS,' Trump wrote without providing evidence supporting his claims. Presidents aren't given power over state election law. The 'Elections Clause' in Article I Section 4, leaves 'the times, places, and manner of holding elections' for the U.S. House and Senate up to the states, and only Congress is given power 'make or alter' these rules. Subscribe to the Design newsletter. The latest innovations in design brought to you every weekday Privacy Policy | Fast Company Newsletters Trump falsely claimed in his social media post on Monday that the U.S. is the only country with mail-in voting (at least 40 countries allow people to vote by mail), and he said he would sign an executive order ahead of next year's midterm election to make the changes. Eight states and Washington, D.C., allow for all-mail-in elections, and an additional 15 states allow for mail-in elections in some circumstances and jurisdictions, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Hollow legal ground Trump's apparent legal argument for having the power to end mail-in voting as president, as laid out in his post, is that states are 'merely an 'agent'' for the federal government in counting and tabulating votes, and the president is the ultimate authority of the federal government. 'They must do what the Federal Government, as represented by the President of the United States, tells them,' Trump wrote. Like his push for Texas to adopt new congressional districts that are gerrymandered to help Republicans, Trump's latest election proposals are about letting the president decide policy that's actually left up to the states, and giving the executive branch power to shape the legislative branch that was designed to act as one of its checks. Rather than a separation of powers, it's a consolidation.
Washington Post
3 minutes ago
- Washington Post
DOJ to begin sharing Epstein files with Congress on Friday, House member says
The chairman of a key House committee said Monday that the Justice Department told him it would begin sharing records related to the investigation of deceased sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein by the end of the week.
