NJ governor race: Where Jack Ciattarelli, Mikie Sherrill stand on the issues

NEW JERSEY - New Jerseyans will start voting for their next governor in just a few days. Rep. Mikie Sherrill is the democratic nominee and is backed by current Gov. Phil Murphy. Meanwhile, GOP nominee Jack Ciattarelli is looking to flip the state red. 

Both candidates have campaigned on making the state more affordable for everyone, but they have very different ideas about how to do that.

Here’s everything you need to know about where Ciattarelli and Sherrill stand on the issues.

JUMP TO: TAXES | HOUSING | EDUCATION | HEALTH & CHILD CARE | ABORTION | ENERGY COSTS | CRIME | GOVERNMENT REFORM | OTHER

Taxes

Both Ciattarelli and Sherrill have campaigned on lowering taxes. In Ciattarelli’s case, that means capping property taxes at a percentage of their assessed value, lowering the Corporation Business Tax by 1% per year for five years, consolidating tax brackets, and making student loan interest tax-deductible.

Ciattarelli has repeatedly rejected claims that he would raise taxes.

Sherrill on the other hand wants to lower taxes using increased credits like the Child Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit. She also says she wants to create a caregiver assistance tax and bring back the back-to-school sales tax holiday. Sherrill’s platform also includes closing tax loopholes for corporations and the ultra-wealthy.

Housing

On his website, Ciattarelli says he will "support affordable housing in New Jersey, but not mandated housing construction in every municipality."

Sherrill’s housing plan involves building more homes. She plans to do that with tax incentives for builders to get more homes built, and planning resources and other incentives for communities, to get them to invest in building more. To help move building along, Sherrill plans to streamline permitting. She also wants to create assistance programs for first-time homebuyers to get people into those homes.

Education

Ciattarelli wants to reform school funding, on a per-student basis, expand charter schools, and remove restrictions on public school choices. For higher education, Ciattarelli’s plan includes requiring state colleges to offer 3 + 1 programs with community colleges.

Ciattarelli also promotes pension reform for teachers, including an option for a Defined Contribution option for new teachers.

Sherrill’s platform involves increased services for students, including free school meals, expanded mental health access and more before and after-school programs.

Both candidates want to expand pre-K.

Health and childcare

Sherrill and Ciattarelli both want to lower the price of healthcare. Ciattarelli wants to do that by using the Department of Banking and Insurance to "crack down" on insurance providers. Sherrill says she wants to lower prescription prices by requiring Pharmacy Benefit Managers to offer the discounts they get on prescriptions to you. 

CIattarelli also wants to make sure health insurance companies can’t deny you for a preexisting condition, and ensure any specialists you have helping you treat that condition will be covered. He also says he wants to make emergency care covered under insurance.

Ciattarelli also opposes a uniform vaccine schedule for everyone, saying he wants to respect religious and medical exemptions, and is in favor of parental choice for their kids.

Sherrill wants more transparency in healthcare pricing, and wants to require insurance companies to justify any premium increases. She also wants to increase childcare options, through more training to increase jobs, and by creating employer-supported childcare programs.

Access to healthcare is also something on both candidates’ agendas. Ciattarelli plans to do that by making a law requiring telehealth options. Sherrill wants to expand access through things like mobile clinics. 

Abortion

Ciattarelli "believes that with certain reasonable exceptions/restrictions agreed upon by the vast majority of Americans, this decision should be between a woman, her partner, her faith, and her healthcare professionals."

Ciattarelli’s plan would prohibit elective abortions after 20 weeks, create a parental notification system for when minors want an abortion and ensure taxpayer dollars don’t go toward abortion care. He also opposes the Reproductive Freedom Act, which codifies the right to an abortion in the state constitution.

Sherrill, however, wants to protect a woman’s right to an abortion, and make sure reproductive health services are covered by insurance. Sherrill also wants to expand access to contraception and in vitro fertilization.

Energy costs

Electricity costs in New Jersey have gone up more than 50% between July 2020 and July 2025, according to Inside Climate News.

Both Sherrill and Ciattarelli have campaigned extensively on lowering energy costs, but again they have drastically different plans on how to do that.

Sherrill says she’ll declare a State of Emergency on her first day in office that would, in part, freeze utility rates. Additionally, Sherrill wants to invest heavily in solar projects, especially on state property. She would also incentivize community solar, and push electrical grid operators to plug clean energy options into the grid.

Ciattarelli’s platform includes restrictions on various clean energy initiatives. Currently, all cars and trucks in NJ will need to be zero-emission by 2035. Ciattarelli would end that mandate. He would also ban offshore wind farms and withdraw the state from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a partnership with nine other states in the region that sets caps on how much carbon dioxide fossil fuel power plants can buy. 

Crime and law enforcement

Ciattarelli has been endorsed by several law enforcement groups, and his platform revolves heavily around "backing the blue." His policies include protecting law enforcement records from being released, protecting qualified immunity and not requiring use of force reports in instances where guns aren’t fired. He also wants to bring back cost of living adjustments to police and fire pensions.

To help stop crime Ciattarelli says he wants to change bail reform policies that he says, "allow violent and repeat offenders to walk free," by installing conservative judges across the state. 

Ciattarelli also plans to repeal the Immigrant Trust Directive, which limits how much information local law enforcement can share with immigration officials. Any communities who refuse to share information might have state funding withheld. 

Ciattarelli is a Second Amendment advocate and says he plans to replace Attorney General Matt Platkin with one with more favorable views toward the Second Amendment. He plans to veto any bills that he feels violate it.

Sherrill’s plan revolves around reducing crime through programs like SAFE NJ. The package of bills introduced to congress does things create funding for summer jobs for kids, access to mental health care and tutoring programs and more.

"As governor, I am committed to enacting these evidence-based programs in New Jersey and expanding innovative and proven programs… that prioritize mental health services and treatment while reducing use of force," Sherrill’s website says.

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Government reform

Ciattarelli wants to change several government policies and implement new ones. First, he wants to implement eight-year term limits for state lawmakers, and require all state employees to be in person five days a week.

Just like with the federal government, he wants to create a Department of Government Efficiency, to try and eliminate waste. 

Ciattarelli also wants to create more requirements for voting, including requiring photo ID at the polls, and proof of citizenship in order to vote by mail. He would also change the deadline for mail-in voting. Currently, any ballot that’s postmarked on or before Election Day will be counted. Ciattarelli’s policy would only count ballots received by 8 p.m. on Election Day.

Sherrill has campaigned on government transparency. Her big policy, the New Jersey Report Card, would allow New Jerseyans to track public spending, grants and projects.

Other issues

Here are some other policies Ciattarelli supports:

• Creating a Voter Fraud Task Force.
• Allowing people to register to vote while buying a hunting, fishing or trapping license, or while applying for a gun permit, business permit or construction permit.
• Putting the New Jersey Transit, Turnpike Authority and South Jersey Transportation Authority into one group.
• Fighting against New York City’s congestion pricing.
• Eliminate the requirement that National Guard members serve active duty in order to qualify for a tax deduction.
• Increase trade between New Jersey and Israel.

Here are some other policies Sherrill supports: 

• Backing the Gateway Project, which would create a new tunnel between New Jersey and New York City
• Lower food prices by investing in small food retailers and farmers, and by incentivizing schools and food banks to buy from local farmers.

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