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New Jersey voters will soon pick their next governor, and it could be a close race. At least one recent poll showed that the Democratic candidate tied with her Republican contender in what's traditionally a blue state. NPR's Joe Hernandez has this story from the campaign trail.
JOE HERNANDEZ, BYLINE: The race is pitting Democratic congresswoman and former Navy pilot Mikie Sherrill against pro-Trump Republican and longtime New Jersey politician Jack Ciattarelli.
JACK CIATTARELLI: Guys, how are ya?
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Doing well. Yourself?
CIATTARELLI: Jack Ciattarelli for governor. Just wanted to say hello.
HERNANDEZ: At a recent campaign event at the Camden cheesesteak shop, Donkey's Place, Ciattarelli said the historically blue state is facing the problems it is thanks to its Democratic leaders.
CIATTARELLI: The Democratic Party has controlled our state legislature for 25 years. They've controlled the executive branch for the past eight years, and we've had nothing but failures across the board.
HERNANDEZ: Sherrill says it's the policies of President Trump that are hurting New Jersey and notes that Ciattarelli has Trump's endorsement. She questioned in a recent debate whether Ciattarelli would be able to stand up to Trump as governor.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
MIKIE SHERRILL: In fact, the president himself called Jack 100% MAGA, and he's shown every sign of being that.
HERNANDEZ: National politics is playing into the campaign, but in recent weeks, the race has gotten increasingly personal. Ciattarelli has slammed Sherrill for being blocked from walking at her naval academy graduation during a cheating scandal. She says that happened because she refused to turn in her classmates. Meanwhile, Sherrill accused Ciattarelli's former medical publishing company of producing materials downplaying the dangers of opioids and said he was responsible for killing tens of thousands of people in New Jersey. Now, his campaign has threatened to sue her for defamation, saying Sherrill was, quote, "baselessly and recklessly accusing a political opponent of mass murder." The pair traded attacks in a heated exchange during their last debate.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
SHERRILL: As you got more people addicted, as you worked to develop - got paid to develop an app so that more people could get more opioids and die.
CIATTARELLI: I got to walk at...
SHERRILL: But here's the facts.
CIATTARELLI: ...My college graduation.
SHERRILL: Even during - even...
CIATTARELLI: I got to walk at my college graduation.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: As she served...
HERNANDEZ: Though the personal attacks have stepped up, whether they'll move the needle among voters is another question. Ben Dworkin directs the Rowan Institute for Public Policy and Citizenship at Rowan University.
BEN DWORKIN: The people who are going to make a difference, who are truly trying to decide where they will vote, want to talk about the cost of living and affordability.
HERNANDEZ: Both candidates have talked about the Garden State's high cost of living. So it may come down to who has the more convincing message. Camden's Democratic mayor, Victor Carstarphen, says he supports Sherrill's plans to build more housing and freeze rising energy costs.
VICTOR CARSTARPHEN: Listen, she's talked about these utilities, you know, and how these utilities is going up higher and higher, and that affects a community like Camden. And she hits her spot on with that.
HERNANDEZ: Nicole Nance sees it differently. The Republican from Cherry Hill says she thinks Ciattarelli's background as an accountant will be more useful as he tries to lower the state's notoriously high property taxes.
NICOLE NANCE: I think I'd rather have a CPA with some type of experience, help with the budget, you know, help run the state than a pilot. That's just me. That's just me (laughter).
HERNANDEZ: Most public polls show Sherrill leading Ciattarelli, though one shows a dead heat. Dworkin, the Rowan University professor, says New Jersey has a history of electing governors from both parties.
DWORKIN: As blue as New Jersey might be in presidential races and U.S. Senate races, too, the state is decidedly purple when it comes to gubernatorial elections.
HERNANDEZ: New Jersey Democrats have a 3-2 voter registration advantage over Republicans, but they may not have history on their side. New Jersey voters haven't elected a governor from the same party three terms in a row since the 1960s.
Joe Hernandez, NPR News.
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