Immigration, NJ Transit among hot topics at debate for Democratic New Jersey gubernatorial candidates
LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. — Six Democratic candidates running to be the next governor of New Jersey participated in their first primary debate Sunday at Rider University.
The Republican candidates debate Tuesday at 7 p.m.
The primary election is June 10, and Election Day is Nov. 4. New Jersey is one of just two states electing a new governor this year.
Trump's immigration policies in New Jersey
Immigration, including the federal government's recent targeted enforcement in Newark, was a hot topic at the debate.
"We cannot risk the 14th Amendment to push this political agenda that Donald Trump has, really based in white supremacy and racism," Newark Mayor Ras Baraka said.
Baraka directed heat at Rep. Josh Gottheimer, the only New Jersey Democrat in Congress to vote for the Laken Riley Act signed by the president, which requires immigration officials to detain undocumented immigrants charged with murder and other crimes.
"If you're a murderer, a criminal, a rapist, if you break into people's homes in the middle of the night with a gun while the kids are sleeping, and you're undocumented, you shouldn't be here," Gottheimer said.
But he said going into churches and schools is unacceptable.
Fixing transportation in New Jersey
Gottheimer also said he's got a plan to kill congestion pricing.
When asked what grade they would give New Jersey Transit, all the candidates said "F."
"We really need to fix this because we are now on our third summer of hell, and we can't wait for the funding from the Gateway Tunnel Project. That's why I've gone back to Amtrak. We need to hold them accountability. They need to fix the catenary wires," Rep. Mikie Sherrill said.
Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop said if he were elected governor, the first issue he would tackle is correcting transit.
"That tax that I mentioned that was only for five years, fixing that in perpetuity, and the second one would be re-adjusting the tax brackets for millionaires," he said.
Making New Jersey more affordable
The candidates offered ideas on how to make New Jersey more affordable.
"I'm really proud to be the only one who's up here on the stage who's designed health care plans that literally saved people billions of dollars both on the employer side, employee side. That's bringing down costs," said Sean Spiller, president of the New Jersey Education Association.
"As senate president, I had up to 80 school districts studying consolidation," former New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney said. "We came up with a bill so we could accomplish this, and so I feel strongly that we can do it."
All the candidates said building more housing is part of bringing costs down.
