Video News Clips: In Their Own Words

Mikie Sherrill Lets Murphy Pass With ‘B’ Rating While State Voters Say Otherwise

New Jersey Governor Debate [Screenshot/ABC7NY]

Democratic New Jersey Rep. Mikie Sherrill said Wednesday evening during the second and final gubernatorial debate against Republican nominee Jack Ciattarelli that she would give current Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy a “B” rating, despite recent polling showing his approval ratings plummet.

On Wednesday evening, Sherrill and Ciattarelli went toe to toe in their final debate as the state’s gubernatorial election approaches in less than 30 days. While discussing a variety of topics concerning voters, moderators asked the two nominees what “grade” they would give Murphy.

“I’d give him a B. There’s things like paying for the pensions, the nine increases in our credit rating that I like. But, overall, I think there’s ways Trenton [New Jersey] could do a lot better. Being much more responsive to people. I’m going to have a culture shift in Trenton,” Sherrill said.

“I’m going to make sure that we have more accountability in government, driving down costs for people,” Sherrill added. “I also think with the housing crisis, there’s more we need to do to build houses, transit-oriented development to make sure we can drive those costs down, and then our rail system. I’d fight harder for more infrastructure to make sure more people can get around the state easily.”

During his time as governor, Murphy has faced criticism for his stance on issues like illegal immigration and rising utility costs. In an Emerson College poll conducted in September, Murphy holds only a 35% job approval rating, dropping down five points since the last survey in May.

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According to the survey, state voters’ top concern is the economy, with 51% citing it as the most important issue in New Jersey, 13% citing threats to democracy and 11% citing housing affordability. Among those surveyed, 21% believe Murphy is responsible for the state’s property tax rate, and 22% say he is responsible for utility costs.

Responding after Sherrill, Ciattarelli gave Murphy an “F,” calling the Democratic governor’s leadership the “worst” of their lifetime.

“It’s an F. This has been the worst governorship of our lifetime. And the reason why a number of Democrats all around the state have endorsed my candidacy is because they’re fearful of another four years of Phil Murphy’s policy failures. Take a look at what’s happened in New Jersey,” Ciattarelli said. “We have an affordability crisis because of property taxes, electricity rate, housing, and child care.”

“We have a public education crisis because we watered down the public school curriculum. We have a public safety crisis because we don’t let our local police do their jobs,” Ciattarelli added.  “And we have an overdevelopment crisis in our suburban communities because of high-density housing. It’s been a failure across the board, and we need change.”

The race between Ciattarelli and Sherrill has been tightening, with Sherrill’s previous lead shrinking. In the September Emerson College poll, both Sherrill and Ciattarelli held 43% support among voters, with 11% undecided.

The poll follows an August Rutgers-Eagleton survey, which found Sherrill with a nine-point lead over Ciattarelli.

(Featured Image Media Credit: [Screenshot/ABC7NY])