There are no truly foolish questions.
Jack Ciattarelli, the Republican candidate for governor in New Jersey, has made quite a splash with ads targeting his Democratic opponent, Rep. Mikie Sherrill. In an earlier interview, Sherrill appeared somewhat flustered when questioned about her legislative priorities.
During a sit-down with CBS New York’s Mercia Cramer on May 4, Sherrill took a moment to gather her thoughts when prompted to name a specific law she intends to champion.
“I love it — that’s a really good question. Because there are so many people who come to mind right now,” she said, pausing for nearly 18 seconds.
Eventually, Sherrill mentioned the Federal Block Grant Program aimed at supporting New Jersey, highlighting “major programs” in the “healthcare area.”
Ciattarelli took a jab at her during an ad, saying, “You want to be governor, and you can’t even answer that question? We have rising electricity bills in this state. We need to fix New Jersey. I will.”
The ad also pointed out troubling facts, like how New Jersey holds the title for the highest property taxes in the nation, and that students in New Jersey ranked poorly in math improvement between 2019 and 2024.
This ad is part of a $1.3 million campaign Ciattarelli has launched, strategically placed just weeks before the November 4 election.
Ciattarelli remarked, “Even Democrats have denounced Sherrill’s candidacy. New Jersey can’t afford this. It’s time to revive the state we all cherish. When I’m governor, we’ll prioritize families and steer New Jersey back on track!”
The Sherrill campaign didn’t respond promptly to comment requests.
New Jersey Democrats have been no strangers to verbal missteps in their campaigns. Earlier this year, during Kramer’s interview, radio host Charlamagne Tha God criticized Sherrill over her net worth while serving in Congress.
“I won’t trade individual stocks,” Sherrill said at the time. “It’s been widely reported that my husband doesn’t trade individual stocks either.”
She added, “Honestly, I don’t think anyone in Congress should do that.”
This was sparked by a report revealing that Sherrill’s husband, Jason Hedberg, made around $7 million from stock trading, and Sherrill had to pay a late fee for not disclosing stock transactions on time as required by federal law.
Currently, Sherrill leads Ciattarelli by an average of 8.8 percentage points in the governor race, according to recent polling data.
