What to Watch for In Tonight’s NJ GOP Gubernatorial Debate

What to Watch for In Tonight’s NJ GOP Gubernatorial Debate

Tonight, four of New Jersey’s already nasty GOP gubernatorial candidates  – Jon Bramnick, Jack Ciattarelli, Ed Durr, and Bill Spadea – will face off on the debate stage, showing voters exactly why they are wrong to be New Jersey’s next governor.

Here’s what to watch for in tonight’s debate: 

MAGA loyalty tests: Since day one of this race, the Republican field has been fighting to see who can claim the most extreme ground, with candidates already spending heavily to prove who is the most MAGA of them all. Recently, Jack Ciattarelli, who “previously said people who broke the law should not be pardoned,” said that “President Trump was right to pardon the men and women present at the Capitol on January 6th…” as he faces scrutiny from his fellow candidates who have never wavered in their support for the January 6 rioters who violently attacked police.

Finger pointing and name calling: Tonight’s debate comes after Ciattarelli and talk radio host Bill Spadea have spent weeks attacking each other online and over the airwaves. Ciattarelli recently launched a website slamming Spadea as “phony MAGA,” and accusing him of not being loyal enough to Donald Trump, while a PAC supporting Spadea is running a digital adhammering Ciattarelli for his unsuccessful bids for governor in both 2017 and 2021, and calling to “stop the perennial candidates, the losers, and the RINOs.

Attacks on public schools and personal rights: While New Jersey’s GOP primary has been heavy on personal attacks and light on policy, this field of candidates has made clear that they would prioritize a host of extreme and unpopular agenda items that would hurt New Jersey families. Recent initiatives from the candidates have included siphoning taxpayer dollars away from public schools and into unaccountable private and charter institutions, stacking the state Supreme Court with far-right judges, and restricting abortion rights and reproductive freedom.

“New Jerseyans tuning in to tonight’s debate can expect to see plenty of name-calling, finger-pointing, and MAGA loyalty pledges, but they won’t hear answers to some of their toughest challenges, like how to bring down costs, build more housing units, or make childcare more affordable,” said DGA Campaign Communications Advisor Emma O’Brien. “Tonight, New Jersey voters will get to hear directly from this slate of extremists about exactly why they’re wrong to be New Jersey’s next governor.”

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