New Jersey governor candidates Ciattarelli, Sherrill discuss education, President Trump in final debate

In a rare moment of agreement, both candidates said they would not support allowing drivers to pump their own gas in New Jersey. 

When it comes to education, Ciattarelli said the state still has not compensated for the learning loss that happened when schools shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic. He said schools need to use high-impact curriculum to close educational gaps, following what Louisiana and Mississippi have done. He also said he will focus on school choice in the state, including with vouchers and charter schools for low-income families.

Sherrill said she agrees learning loss is a problem. She said she wants schools to use phonics to help children learn to read and pass an online safety law.

The moderators asked the candidates, who are both parents of four, what they are most worried about.

Sherrill said she is worried about mental health and education, specifically third-grade reading levels in the state. 

Ciattarelli said he is also worried about mental health and public education. He said he will prioritize school choice as a way to help students who are behind catch up.

Asked what grade he would give President Trump for his work so far this year, Ciattarelli said he would give an A. Sherrill said the president deserves an F. 

Asked about her military records, Sherrill said again that she didn't walk at her graduation from the Naval Academy because she didn't turn in some of her classmates during a cheating scandal. She said she did not have any other role in the scandal.

Ciattarelli fired back, saying Sherrill should release her full records. "I think the people of New Jersey deserve an answer," he said. 

In his opening statement, Jack Ciattarelli said the state needs "change" and said he will share specific proposals to deal with a number of crises during the debate. 

Rep. Mikie Sherrill said she would be "a different kind of governor," highlighting her experience as a Navy helicopter pilot and a mom.

Questions about Rep. Mikie Sherrill's military records might come up in the debate as well. 

A CBS News investigation published in late September found a branch of the National Archives released a mostly unredacted version of Sherrill's records to Nicholas De Gregorio, a Ciattarelli ally. It revealed personal information including Sherrill's Social Security number and her parents' home address. An official at the National Archives and Records Administration said an internal review is underway.

Now, the threat of lawsuits hangs over the race. 

Since the report, the Ciattarelli campaign has attempted to tie Sherrill to the 1994 Naval Academy cheating scandal. Sherrill says her only role in the scandal was not turning in her classmates.

Sherrill has accused Ciattarelli and the Trump administration of "weaponizing" her records for political reasons.

Read more.

James LaPorta contributed to this report.

Affordability and party politics are among the topics likely to arise. 

Polling has consistently shown that voters are concerned about the economy and housing prices. Utility prices and taxes are bound to come up in that discussion. 

"The No. 1 issue of the campaign without a doubt is affordability, and there's sort of a big package of issues that surround that. ... You've seen utility bills be an important issue in this race, taxes," Kristoffer Shields, the director of the Eagleton Center on the American Governor, said. "What I think we haven't seen yet from either candidate is a broader sense of sort of a vision for the future of New Jersey in terms of affordability." 

Another thing likely to come up is ties to party leadership in New Jersey and beyond. 

"The themes will be similar. You'll still hear Mikie Sherrill try to tie Jack Ciattarelli to Donald Trump. You'll hear Jack Ciattarelli try to tie Mikie Sherrill to Phil Murphy, but they'll go at it a little bit more aggressively, and I think start to make the positive case for themselves and what it is they'll do as governor of New Jersey," Shields said.

VoteVets, a liberal group that typically backs veterans running for office, is pouring $500,000 into advertising against Jack Ciattarelli, CBS News has reported.

Rep. Mikie Sherrill is a former Navy helicopter pilot. VoteVets is also running ads in Virginia in support of Rep. Abigail Spanberger, a former CIA operations officer running for governor there.

VoteVets says both ads feature veterans of the armed services discussing economic difficulties and alleging a GOP governor would make things worse for them.  

Read more.

Zak Hudak contributed to this report.

With one month to go until Election Day, New Jersey residents in a recent poll say taxation is their biggest issue, they're overall dissatisfied with the economy, and most believe the country is headed in the "wrong direction."

The poll released by Stockton University on Friday collected responses from 705 voting-age residents of the Garden State on Democratic candidate Mikie Sherrill, Republican candidate Jack Ciattarelli, incumbent Gov. Phil Murphy and President Trump. 

Respondents also expressed their views about artificial intelligence, political violence and public health, among other issues.

In a year with no federal elections on the ballot in New Jersey, voter turnout — and what those voters think about the economy — will be key, one political expert said.

Read more about the latest polling.

Dan Snyder contributed to this report.

The debate is from 7 to 8 p.m. 

It will air on WABC-TV in the New York City area and northern and eastern parts of New Jersey, and on 6ABC in Philadelphia and areas of western and southern New Jersey. Both of those stations will also stream the debate on their websites.