President Trump loomed large as New Jersey's candidates for governor, Democrat Mikie Sherrill and Republican Jack Ciattarelli, met on the debate stage for the first time Sunday night. 

Questions from the moderator and audience members ranged from taxes and cost of living in the state to education to artificial intelligence. 

Sherrill, a member of Congress, repeatedly tried to link her opponent to the president during the town hall-style debate. 

"He'll do whatever Trump tells him to do," Sherrill said in her opening statement.

Ciattarelli, a former state assemblyman, did not criticize Mr. Trump, who endorsed Ciattarelli during the Republican primary, or his plans, but stressed his independence. 

"My job is to advocate for the 9.3 million citizens of this state, and I'll always do right by the citizens of this state, no matter who occupies the White House," Ciattarelli said.

The candidates are vying to replace Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat who is term-limited.

Clash over rising costs

Sherrill and Ciattarelli disagreed about what is to blame for rising costs in New Jersey. 

Sherrill blamed higher prices on Mr. Trump and his One Big Beautiful Bill Act and tariffs.

"All he does is say that Trump's right — it's OK to drive up your tariffs. It's OK to have the One Big Beautiful Bill, which drives up your health care and utility costs," she said. "Not on my watch."

Ciattarelli blamed New Jersey's high tax rates on Democrats who have run the state government in recent years. 

"The Democrats have controlled our state legislature for 25 years," he charged. "The Democrats have controlled the executive branch, the governorship for eight years and look where we are today."

Ciattarelli said his platform includes "making all retirement income tax-free for our seniors, freezing property taxes once you hit age 70 for life, (and) allowing seniors to deduct 100% of their property taxes on their N.J. tax return."

Sherrill said she plans to continue supporting seniors through ANCHOR and Stay New Jersey, which are tax relief programs, and reorganizing some public systems to share costs.

Micah Rasmussen, a debate moderator and director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University, said whoever can get their affordability message across in this race will have the edge. He expects it to be a close race.

"You're not going to hear these candidates say that they're going to drive down the high cost of living. Because it ain't going to happen," Rasmussen said. "What they can hope to do is tinker at the edges. What they can do is stop the rate of growth."

Ads and polling

Ad spending on the race is projected to total around $140 million, according to Ad Impact, a company that tracks and analyzes advertising across TV, digital and streaming. As of Aug. 26, more than $91 million had already been spent on the race, far more than the total of $38 million for the entire 2021 election.

Sherrill has consistently led in polling, even in polls commissioned by her opponent. The most recent, from Quinnipiac University, had her 8 percentage points higher than Ciattarelli.

"The challenge now for both of them is, how do they grow beyond the base they've got to get across the finish line?" Rasmussen said.

When is the election? 

Election Day is Nov. 4. Counties were allowed to begin sending out vote-by-mail ballots Saturday, which was 45 days before the election.

How to watch the debate 

If you missed the debate, it's available to watch via On New Jersey's YouTube page.

When is the next debate?

Following Sunday's debate, Sherill and Ciattarelli's running mates, Dale Caldwell and Jim Gannon, will face off in the Lieutenant Governor debate. That's set for Sept. 30 at Kean University.

Ciattarelli and Sherrill face off one final time on Oct. 8 at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center.