By Kristopher Seals
NEWARK – A place known for showstopping performances had two colorful characters on its stage, garnering cheers and jeers for each.
On Sept. 28, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center played host to the first gubernatorial debate of 2021 between incumbent Gov. Phil Murphy (D-Rumson) and challenger and former 16th District Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli (R-Hillsborough). WABC’s legendary anchor Sade Baderinwa and Brian Taff of WPVI served as moderators, while Adriana Vargas-Sino of Univision, and NJ Advance Media reporter Amanda Hoover asked supplemental questions, along with inquiries submitted by students and the general public.
Although Baderinwa and Taff put in a solid effort to keep the debate running smoothly, there were some occasional interruptions from a passionate audience. The restless crowd was locked in on the key issues: Tropical Storm Ida response, COVID-19, women’s rights, the budget and more.
First, Ciattarelli tagged Murphy with the deaths of 30 New Jersey residents in Ida’s aftermath after the current governor waited to declare a state of emergency – 12 hours after Pennsylvania’s Governor Tom Wolf had done so. Murphy countered that his administration was working towards addressing climate change, which he blamed for the storm’s severity.
Then, as the conversation shifted to COVID-19, Ciattarelli again had a strand to pull on, calling out Murphy for nursing deaths amid the pandemic. While Murphy could not give a solid retort to that unfortunate reality, he was able to use the virus later on to highlight Ciattarelli’s stance on being against vaccine and mask mandates.
“You can’t look for wiggle room on vaccines, and your body your choice. You can’t ignore the science as it relates to masking. It is crystal clear,” Murphy said.
Later, Baderinwa questioned Ciattarelli on his stance concerning systemic racism. Ciattarelli answered, “I think what we should be teaching our children is the golden rule: Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. That’s what we should be teaching our children.”
In regard to taking care of women, both sides took heavy damage. Murphy blasted Ciattarelli on Planned Parenthood and a woman’s right to choose, while Ciattarelli countered with how Murphy handled Katie Brennan’s rape allegations, the Edna Mahan women’s prison, and even Murphy’s own professional women’s soccer team.
As for the budget, Ciattarelli criticized Murphy for a bloated $46 billion budget, while Murphy countered by saying that the money was needed to correct mistakes of the Christie administration and items that Ciattarelli agreed to as an assemblyman at the time.
Finally, while both men had plenty of disagreements, they did agree that neither would raise taxes if elected.
Only time will tell who benefited most from this clash, as Murphy enjoys a double-digit lead in the polls as of press time. The second and final debate between the candidates is scheduled for Oct. 12, while a Lieutenant Governor debate between incumbent Sheila Oliver and former State Senator Diane Allen is slated for Oct. 5.
Analysis
Murphy missed an opportunity to create excitement as to why four more years with him would be better than what we have now instead of four years with a new administration. This could have effectively ended the campaign, as Ciattarelli would be seen as having nothing special to offer.
Also, while Ciattarelli made an effort to address Murphy’s mishandling of the Ida response, he could have scored some points if he alluded to the Nov. 15, 2018 snowstorm, in which the response was a disaster in and of itself. This could have demonstrated that the Murphy administration always struggles with response, and that Ida was not an isolated incident.
In conclusion: Debate Round 1 was a draw.
