Democratic Party - Democratic National Committee

10/08/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/08/2025 20:39

Mikie Sherrill Handily Wins Final New Jersey Gubernatorial Debate Arrow

WATCH: In the key moment of the night, Ciattarelli gave Trump an "A" grade

Mikie Sherrill handily beat Jack Ciattarelli tonight at the final debate of the New Jersey gubernatorial election. On stage, she proved once again that she is the decisive, principled leader New Jersey needs, while Jack is only focused on Donald Trump and himself.

In the key moment of the debate, Jack Ciattarelli gave Trump an "A" grade, despite Trump's Big Ugly Bill causing over 300,000 New Jerseyans to lose their health insurance and driving utility costs up by hundreds of dollars for New Jersey families.

While Jack Ciattarelli looked desperate and tried to shift focus off his role in the opioid epidemic, Rep. Sherrill made clear how she will lower costs for New Jersey families, including declaring a state of emergency to end utility rate hikes.

In response to Mikie Sherrill's commanding debate win, DNC Chair Ken Martin released the following statement:

"Tonight, Mikie Sherrill made clear that she's going to be a governor for all of New Jersey. Not only did she win the debate outright, but she also presented a strong case for how she will lower costs for hard-working New Jersey families as governor, stand up to Donald Trump's attempts to go after the working class, and show leadership when it's needed most. Jack Ciattarelli, on the other hand, looked weak and desperate. He struggled, flailed, and interrupted over and over, trying to make up for the fact that he gave Trump an 'A' grade in the most cringeworthy moment of the night. Ciattarelli deserves an 'F' for his allegiance to Trump's New Jersey Last agenda that raises health care costs and destroys small businesses across the state. Between now and November 4th, the DNC is all hands on deck to make sure Mikie Sherrill wins on Election Day."

Here are some of the key takeaways from tonight's debate:

The key moment: Jack Ciattarelli said he would give Trump an 'A' grade, despite Trump's Big Ugly Bill causing 390,000 New Jersey families to lose their health insurance and raising New Jersey families' energy bills by hundreds of dollars.

Key moment: Jack Ciattarelli also lied about the Big Ugly Bill, which does not end taxes on Social Security or tips.

Key moment: Jack Ciattarelli lied about inflation going down, when in fact inflation has risen since Trump took office.

Reminder: Jack Ciattarelli voted to defund Planned Parenthood 6 times.

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