Here’s what you missed at the first debate between the six Democrats vying to be N.J. governor
Candidates encouraged voters to look at their opponents’ records — and their own.

Six Democratic candidates vying for New Jersey’s governorship spoke directly to voters at the first debate of the season Sunday night in an effort to differentiate themselves in a crowded field.
The candidates are U.S. Reps. Mikie Sherrill and Josh Gottheimer, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, former Montclair Mayor and New Jersey Education Association president Sean Spiller, and former New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney, a leader for the International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers union. All six are currently viewed as having pathways to victory.
As pressing issues like immigration came up on the Rider University stage, candidates encouraged voters to look at their opponents’ records — and their own. The mayors emphasized their knowledge of Trenton’s impact on municipalities, Sweeney showed off the depth of his legislating experience, and Sherrill and Gottheimer pulled from their tenures in D.C.
» READ MORE: Meet 10 candidates looking to be the next New Jersey governor
Here are some of the key issues the candidates discussed at the debate, which was hosted by New Jersey Globe, On New Jersey, and Rider University.
N.J.’s role in federal immigration enforcement
All the candidates said they would protect undocumented immigrants, but Sweeney and Gottheimer took a more conservative tone.
Baraka and Fulop voiced support for the Immigrant Trust Act, which would codify and expand a state policy that limits cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. They also condemned the Laken Riley Act, a new federal law that requires the Department of Homeland Security to detain undocumented immigrants accused of theft-related crimes.
But Gottheimer, who was the only New Jersey Democrat in Congress to vote in favor of the Laken Riley Act, defended his vote by saying “if you’re a murderer, a criminal, a rapist … and you’re undocumented, you shouldn’t be here,” rhetoric that Baraka denounced. Gottheimer also said he would use the “full force of the state” to stop Trump’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids of “innocent undocumented people.”
Sweeney said he opposes raids without search warrants but that if an undocumented person commits a crime, they “need to leave” the country. In a statement last Monday, Sweeney said he would repeal New Jersey’s “sanctuary state status.”
Sherrill and Spiller emphasized the need for “humanity” and systemic immigration reform.
“We need to make sure people have a pathway to citizenship who are here, who are working hard, who are paying taxes, DACA [Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals] recipients, TPS [Temporary Protected Status] recipients, and we also need better border security,” Sherrill said.
Differing partisan approaches for the Supreme Court
The New Jersey governor has the power to appoint state Supreme Court justices. Traditionally, the state maintains a partisan balance of the seven-judge court with just a one-seat majority.
When asked if they would follow tradition and appoint a Republican justice to the high court when Republican Justice Anne Patterson retires in 2029, the candidates differed.
Baraka and Fulop, the most progressive candidates running, said they would not appoint a Republican.
Fulop argued that Democrats learned a lesson by “repeatedly” deciding to “play nice” and that because Democrats outnumber Republicans in the state, “the bench should reflect that.”
“It’s no secret that New Jersey is viewed as a purple state,” Fulop said. “If it becomes red, do you think that the Republicans are going to say, ‘Well this is the way it’s been historically?”
Jack Ciattarelli, a Republican primary candidate, said Monday night in response to the debate that he wouldn’t commit to partisan balance either.
» READ MORE: Is New Jersey becoming a swing state?
Baraka agreed with Fulop, and added that the bench should be more diverse.
“We can’t keep getting the same judges from the same circles of people all the time,” Baraka said.
Sherrill agreed that diversity is important, though she argued in favor of keeping a partisan balance in the court because of the importance of building “a more courteous” political environment.
Sweeney adamantly defended maintaining a partisan balance, and said he fought as Senate leader against former Gov. Chris Christie’s efforts to pack the courts with Republicans.
“If we’re going to pack the courts, then they have every right to,” Sweeney said. “We have the best system in the country, and we need to protect it.”
Spiller said that for him, any appointments would be a conversation about beliefs and “not necessarily the letter that’s after your name.”
“We shouldn’t just make it political for the sake of being political,” he said.
Sweeney breaks from the crowd on referendums
New Jersey currently does not allow for statewide initiatives and referendums, which allow citizens to gather signatures to get a proposal on the ballot or to vote on whether to repeal an existing law.
Most of the candidates said they would support allowing initiatives and referendums in New Jersey, but Sweeney argued assuredly against them, saying that putting policies on the ballot will just bring more money into politics.
“We’re all talking about how much we hate the amount of money that’s in politics,” he said. “Do you realize how much money will be spent on initiatives where working class people don’t have the same tools?”
He said that voters should instead vote out legislators who don’t represent them.
While Spiller indicated that he would support initiatives and referendums, he also cautioned that policy can swing back and forth with them.
Moving on from Murphy
As a whole, the candidates weren’t afraid to distance themselves from term-limited Gov. Phil Murphy, despite being from the same party. When asked to grade Murphy’s administration, candidates’ responses ranged from B+ to C-.
Murphy took the biggest hit as candidates criticized NJ Transit — all giving the agency an F grade. But candidates also praised him for fully funding the state’s pension system.
Gottheimer said that while Murphy has “gotten a lot done,” the state needs to focus on affordability.
“I really think we’ve got to, as a state, make sure we focus like a laser beam on getting taxes down for people,” he said.