The race to succeed term-limited Gov. Phil Murphy has heated up since an amicable Democratic debate in February, and the shift in dynamic was felt in Monday night’s discordant debate.
Reps. Mikie Sherrill and Josh Gottheimer, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, and former State Senate President Steve Sweeney participated in the 50-minute debate. The sixth Democratic candidate, New Jersey Education Association President Sean Spiller, did not raise enough money to qualify for the debates.
Sherrill has been considered a frontrunner by some, and attacks on her have increased in recent weeks.
Baraka and Fulop criticized Sherrill for votes they say helped to fund the southern border wall that President Donald Trump has long touted. Sherrill called those accusations a “fallacy.”
The two mayors also said they would sign the Immigrant Trust Act, which would codify the Immigrant Trust Directive, a policy barring officers from participating in federal immigration raids or arresting people solely due to their immigration status. Sherrill said she would not support the Immigrant Trust Act because she worries it would open the directive to legal challenges, potentially all the way to the Supreme Court.
Baraka and Fulop disagreed, saying a federal appeals court has already upheld the directive’s validity.
Gottheimer said the directive was enough, while Sweeney said the directive and the act give “false hope” to people. The former state legislator said immigration policy is largely up to Congress, but still accused the president of violating the law in his efforts to perform mass deportations.
“Washington, and I’m sorry, because this is where this lies, Washington has to come up with the pathways,” Sweeney said.
Baraka gained national attention last week after federal law enforcement officials arrested him as he tried to gain access to Delaney Hall, a newly reopened, privately owned migrant detention center in his city. The mayor joined congressional Democrats in demanding the opportunity to perform oversight, but federal officials charged him with trespassing.
Sherrill said she’s fought against private prisons during both the Trump and Biden administrations, but accused Baraka of not doing the same.
“I don’t think you were saying much about private prisons in the last administration,” the congresswoman said.
“I certainly was,” Baraka responded.
Baraka said he doesn’t believe Sherrill is truly a progressive and believes her voting record proves that.
“It’s important for us to outline those differences, and that’s what we’re doing,” the mayor told reporters. “We’re in a competition, so we’ve got to outline differences.”
Fulop said he is unimpressed with Sherrill’s proposals, accusing her of using “platitudes” instead of developing comprehensive plans. Sherrill said she believes her platforms are among the most detailed in the primary.
“At some point, you need to have plans, and not just these platitudes up in the air,” he said.
With utility bills set to jump next month, Sherrill touted her support not just for solar and wind power, but also nuclear.
“They may say we need more power, but they won’t stay ‘nuclear’ because they’re scared of it. It hasn’t been poll-tested,” the congresswoman told reporters after the debate.
Gottheimer focused on his plan to aggressively cut taxes throughout the state, telling reporters after the debate that while Murphy has done many things well as governor, cutting taxes is “not one of them.”
“We’ve got to cut people’s taxes,” Gottheimer said during the debate. “I’m the only one up here to put out a tax cut plan.”
NJ PBS, WNYC, and NJ Spotlight News hosted the debate, which they billed a “conversation.” The conversation was the first of two Election Law Enforcement Commission-mandated debates required for candidates who participated in the public matching funds program. NJ Spotlight News anchor Briana Vannozzi and WNYC Morning Edition host Michael Hill moderated the program.
Democrats will meet for the second time on May 18 in a debate hosted by the New Jersey Globe, On New Jersey, and Rider University.