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The second and final New Jersey Gubernatorial debate was held Wednesday night, and unlike the first debate, round two proved to be entertaining. Democratic candidate Mikie Sherrill charged Republican candidate Jack Ciattarelli with pocketing millions from a company that published material downplaying the dangers of opioids. Ciattarelli, meanwhile, shot back, chastising her while reminding viewers of Sherrill’s inability to walk at her Naval Academy graduation due to her knowledge of a cheating scandal. Benjamin Dworkin is the founding director of the Rowan Institute for Public Policy and Citizenship at Rowan University. He appeared on 710 WOR’s Mendte in the Morning program to say that, while the two did set off “fireworks”, they didn’t exactly have the intended effect.
Dworkin told host Larry Mendte that the fireworks didn’t matter to most New Jersey voters because they already have made up their minds: “It will not make a difference. The people who watch these debates are convinced. They know who they’re voting for. Unless you have a major implosion, like Joe Biden did a year or so ago… unless you completely collapse, that’s when a debate makes a difference, and without that, these two, they each had some good punches, there were some fireworks, and largely it was a draw. This election is going to come down to turnout and who can rally the forces on their side more effectively.”
Dworkin did note that Sherrill’s “smile and attack” style might indicate that she felt she had to take a gamble with less than a month until Election Day: “Jack Ciattarelli has been running for governor for ten years. He’s a very sharp and smooth politician because he’s so experienced at running statewide. This is Mikie Sherrill’s first time running statewide and she had a steep learning curve, but it’s no longer the beginning of the season. We’re now into the playoff race here and she came out swinging.”
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