Panic: Is Sherrill Scrambling To Rally Her Base?

By Matt Rooney  reposted with permission from Save Jersey

Jack Ciattarelli and Mikie Sherrill wrangled for over 90-minutes on Sunday evening in a town hall-style debate at Rider University’s alumni gym, Save Jerseyans. A record-sized and frequently rowdy crowd took in the debate live and in person. State legislators, party bosses, local activists, students, and ordinary voters sitting elbow to elbow. 1,600 strong, packed to the rafters and yes, it got a bit toasty in there. The TMZ-style “fly on the wall” camera work gave viewers at home an entirely different experience.

Who won? That’s what you want to know, right?

It might be easier to answer who thinks they’re losing. Congresswoman Sherrill’s debate “answers” (and I’m being ridiculously generous by calling them that) consisted of platitudes and shoehorned references to President Trump which, in fairness, is at least consistent since a substance-less, Trump-obsessed messaging strategy has characterized her campaign’s messagign to date. One of the first panelist questions challenged her perceived lack of knowledge depth concerning state-specific issues. She promptly reacted to the question by failing to answer it, and with the notable exception of childhood vaccinations (which brought out her inner angry Karen) and online privacy, didn’t seem able (or willing) to supply specifics on anything.

Ciattarelli, true to form, was confidently hyper-substantive in detailing his plans including freezing property taxes at age 70, capping them at 1% of assessed value for first time home buyers, streamlining the state’s tax brackets, and ending the Mount Laurel (Affordable Housing) Doctrine. He missed a couple of easy opportunities for devastating zingers (like confronting Sherrill with her opposition to the Laken Riley Act), but if you’re in the market for competence this fall? It wasn’t much of a contest.

At times? It felt like watching an experienced CFO debate an aged-out pageant contestant. 

Here’s one of my favorites. Sherrill and the DGA have been slandering Jack Ciattarelli for weeks with ads accusing him of trying to implement a 10% sales tax hike. Jack was asked about it at the debate and said “no,” not happening. When given the chance to rule out her own sales tax hike immediately thereafter, Mikie… refused to do so!

I couldn’t believe my ears:

Her non-answer on Sanctuary Statehood wasn’t any better:

And then she came out in favor of MANDATORY municipal consolidation? What??

Crazy stuff. But what really jumped out at me as much as the substance was Sherrill’s apparent offensive theory of the debate.

Despite the existence of a *public* polling consensus of a mid-to-high single digit Sherrill lead, the amateurish-sounding Democrat nominee presented more like the long shot underdog challenger than the frontrunner throughout most of the debate. Every response followed the same formula as you just witnessed in the cuts posted above: (1) feigned sweetness in her native Virginia Chardonnay accent, (2) word salad, (3) somehow the lack of dressing on the word salad is Trump’s fault, and (4) Jack supports Trump.

Does any of this move the center in 2025? Probably not, but I also don’t think she’s trying to persuade anyone at this point. There’s a growing body of evidence that Sherrill has a base problem, and everything about her performance on Sunday night would seem to validate that her campaign is seeing a base problem manifested in their internal numbers. The most recent Quinnipiac Poll found Jack with an 11-point edge among those who are “very” enthusiastic about their candidate. The Ciattarelli internals show the GOP hopeful moving into a lead position for the first time.

Sherrill debated like a candidate in trouble who also knows she’s in trouble.

For as unprepared and uncomfortable in her own shoes as she came across for most of the evening, she still attacked – with very mixed success – like someone trying to score points with limited time left on the play clock.

I think most viewers picked up on it. Time will tell.

Debate: Jack Offered Specific Solutions, He Won!

Day One. Real Results.
While my opponent makes false promises even Democrats have scoffed at, I have a plan for Day One as your governor:
✅ Pull New Jersey OUT of RGGI — saving taxpayers MILLIONS annually
⁰✅ Reopen the natural gas facilities Murphy shut down⁰
✅ STOP the… pic.twitter.com/YBVNKsWeug

— Jack Ciattarelli (@Jack4NJ) September 21, 2025

You Don't Wanna Miss THIS!

 

Ciattarelli, Gannon Want SIX Debates!

NJ Election Law Enforcement Commission  Thomas H. Prol‚ Chairman   Ryan Peters‚ Commissioner  Norma R. Evans‚ Commissioner  Jon-Henry Barr‚ Commissioner  PO Box 185  Trenton, NJ 08625  Dear Commissioners,  In advance of your meeting regarding gubernatorial general election debate applications, we write to express our strong preference to participate in as many NJ Election Law Enforcement Commission sponsored debates as the schedule will allow between now and November 4, 2025.  The people of New Jersey are rightfully frustrated with the direction of our state after eight years of Governor Murphy and twenty-five years of one-party Democrat control of our State Legislature.  They want and deserve change and would be best-served by seeing the candidates vying for our state’s two highest offices side-by-side on a debate stage as often as possible.  Voters deserve candidates who do not duck the public and the press nor hide behind tens of millions of dollars in misleading attack ads by national organizations in Washington, D.C. or entrenched special interests in Trenton. These debates are critical to revealing those candidates.  We urge you – in the strongest possible terms – to approve and schedule more than the two gubernatorial debates and a single Lt. Governor’s debate required by law.  At a minimum, we are willing to double that number in both cases and begin as soon as possible to accommodate the more robust schedule.  We are hopeful that Congresswoman Sherrill and Mr. Caldwell will agree.  Sincerely, Jack Ciattarelli                                     James Gannon  Republican Candidate for Governor    Republican Candidate for Lt.                                                                      Governor

Debate: Raucous Republican Rumble Rattles Rider

OMG! How to begin to tell you about last Tuesday night's New Jersey Republican primary gubernatorial debate?

The first word that immediately comes to mind is UGLY. It was ugly to watch; it was ugly to listen to; it was almost embarrassing to be in the same room with these people. It was a shambles and it that's not good for the party. Not. Good. At. All!

Who's fault was this? You can start with the moderator, Laura Jones. At the outset Jones elaborated a series of ground rules for the evening and them promptly ignored them. For all intents and purposes, structure was thrown to the wind. And it was a very windy night, both outside and inside the Rider University venue. But, in fairnes, the candidates did not make Jones' job any easier. 

Here's an example of how things went wrong: questions were posed to the candidates as a group, without giving said candidates which order they should answer in. So, they'd all start answering at once and the loudest respondent won the stage. An atmosphere like this (with no discernible rules) is made for a grandstander. And so, radio talker Bill Spadea took advantage of the moment and moved to dominate the evening like a burly broadcasting bully.

We'll give Spadea this much: he's got a wonderful voice; a distinctive voice that makes you want to keep listening. And he knows how to use his voice to command attention. In fact, at one point John Bramnick (who sounded a bit raspy last night) had to remind Spadea that this was not his show and he was not on the radio. But nothing deterred Spadea.

The hostility between Spadea and Jack Ciattarelli was palpable. And the vitriol was unending. Spadea called Jack a loser who's supported by "deep pocket, backroom elites" adding: "this man has been unemployed for nine years, permanently running for governor." Looking to Ciattarelli, Spadea said: "the loudest, most deceitful, most annoying person does not win."

But Jack gave as good as he got. He was determined not to let Spadea get the best of him. He called Spadea a "grifter"  and a "professional liar" adding that he's "an indecent man who will do anything to get your vote." And Jack went after Spadea on his political action "Common Sense Club" alleging that it paid back a hefty fee to Spadea himself. When Spadea, explaining, seemed to boast that the group was profitable, Jack shot back: "Profitable? It's a non-profit!"

Since Ciattarelli is the frontrunner in the race, he proved to be a frequent target. When Jack pointed to his business success and the independence it has given him, declaring that "no one owns me," Bramnick retorted: "You're owned by the people who write your talking points." When Ciattarelli rightly cited the grassroots time he's put in on behalf of the party and its candidates throughout the state, Ed Durr accused Jack of ignoring him when he ran his uphill race against Steve Sweeney in 2021, scoring a dramatic upset that made national news. 

And then Durr (aka "Ed The Trucker") declared himself the only true outsider in the race, branding all the others "part of a cabal" and declaring "The only way to win is by doing something different. I'm different. I represent you."

As for Bramnick, he spent almost the entire evening pointing to the fact that he has repeatedly been elected to the state legislature from a district that is solidly Democrat. "In you want to win, you've got to be able to gain the votes of Democrats and independents. I've shown that I can do that," Bramnick had one of his best moments when, as the other candidates argued over who was the real Trumpster, he asked: "Do you think the people of New Jersey want us to debate who loves Donald Trump the most or who loves New Jersey the most?" Still, Bramnick elicited jeers when he criticized Trump and tried to interject the events of January 6, 2021 into the mix. 

Of all the candidates, Durr is the one who probably most represents Trump's followers and most closely mirrors their views. His working class creds seem real and when he was asked if he would live in Drumthwacket, the governor's mansion in Princeton if elected, he demurred, saying "I like South Jersey." In the midst of all the bellicosity and bluster, it was a refreshing answer. 

In fact, though he's often dismissed by the pols and the pundits, Durr could be a key factor in this race. If he stays in the race, he would most likely take votes away from Spadea, as "Ed the Trucker" and a veteran conservative radio talker would seem to appeal to the same constituency. If he drops out, his endorsement of one of the other candidates could be the deciding factor. 

Spadea played his ace card in his closing remarks saying that, if elected, he would only serve one term. But how much could a governor really accomplish in just one term -- especially a novice governor with no experience in elected office and without control of the state legislature? 

Bottom line: this wasn't a debate. Rather, it was mostly mayhem providing little or no illumination for the voters, most of whom, mercifully, were not watching. Let's hope for something better as we move forward.

NJ GOP Gubernatorial Debate: What To Look For

It's almost time! 

Our friend Matt Rooney of Save Jersey will be one of the moderators of tonight's New Jersey Republican gubernatorial debate which will be held on the Rider University campus. We'll be there tonight and we hope you'll be watching the debate via the New Jersey Globe on facebook, twitter, youtube or other sources shown above.

If you watch the debate, here's what to look for from each of the four candidates in the GOP primary race:

John Bramnick: This state senator is the only current elected officeholder running for the nomination and he will certainly tout his winning ways. And, to his credit, he has been elected and re-elected as a Republican in a reliably Democrat state. But that's been just in his own bailiwick, not statewide. Can Bramnick show that he can be more than a regional success and how in hell can he explain his longstanding opposition to Trumpism, and apparent animosity to Trump and his followers? That's no small hurdle in the current climate as the GOP seems to have moved beyond its former posture of Democrat Light. Where does all that leave the somewhat professorial Bramnick? Stay tuned!

Jack Ciattarelli: We'll admit it -- we like Jack. But, who doesn't? He comes across as your amiable, trusty neighbor. Smiling Jack won't simply lend you his mower, he'll probably mow the lawn for you or shovel the snow off your sidewalk, if need be. He's basically been running for governor ever since he almost won the job with a stunning showing in 2021. But almost doesn't count and now, in the age of Trump 2.0 Jack has to find a way forward embracing even some parts of Trump's agenda that he might have previously eschewed.  While doing this, Jack would do well to mix it up a bit.  Temperamentally, be less like Tom Kean and more like Chris Christie -- instinctive, spontaneous, feisty, even combative now and then. That could be the winning formula! 

Ed Durr: Of all the candidates, Ed Durr is probably the only one who can justifiably claim to be a true and loyal Trumpster. After all, Durr came on the scene via a history-making upset in the same style as Trump. Durr, the giant killer, made national news when he defeated NJ Senate President Steve  Sweeney but the triumph was short lived when Durr failed to raise a sufficient war chest, got snagged by local intra-party squabbles and wound up losing his re-election bid. So now, tonight Ed The Trucker's gotta explain why he's even running for governor in the first place. That may sound like a tall order but then again ask yourself this: why is Steve Sweeney himself now running for governor after suffering that humiliating defeat at the hands of Durr? Touché!  

Bill Spadea: Up until last week Spadea was a conservative radio talk show host who somehow managed to continue his radio gig even after announcing he was running for governor. That takes no small amount of acrobatic talent, yes? With his beard, his graying temples and his intense gaze, Spadea at times reminds us of Ted Cruz -- be careful, this guy can be menacing. At one time or another, on his talk show Spadea has said just about everything and anything and, of course, some of this may (and probably will) come back to haunt him. But he's verbally agile and knows how to turn on the charm when he has to. Still, does he have the command of the issues, the demeanor and political savvy to be governor? Tonight will be the first test of that.

We Think You're Gonna LOVE This!

If Archie Bunker debated Tim Walz. 😂🤣 pic.twitter.com/48tAkyZESt

— 🇺🇸 Inga 🇺🇸 (@Inga_C8) October 21, 2024

Vance Shares Prayer That Helped Him Through Debate

From catholicvote.org:

Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance on Wednesday shared how prayer helped him overcome his anxiety ahead of Tuesday’s debate with Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz.

“A friend asked me how nervous I was on a scale of 1 to 10. The answer? 11,” Vance revealed in a post on X (formerly Twitter). 

“​​A priest friend sent me this prayer before I went on stage,” he continued. “I share it in the hopes someone will find it as meaningful as I did.”

The prayer reads as follows:

O Ineffable Creator, who, from the treasures of Your wisdom, have established three hierarchies of angels, have arrayed them in marvelous order above the fiery heavens, and have marshaled the regions of the universe with such artful skill. You are proclaimed the true font of light and wisdom, and the primal origin raised high beyond all things.

Pour forth a ray of Your brightness into the darkened places of my mind; disperse from my soul the twofold darkness into which I was born: sin and ignorance.

You make eloquent the tongues of infants. Refine my speech and pour forth upon my lips the goodness of Your blessing.

Grant to me keenness of mind, capacity to remember, skill in learning, subtlety to interpret, and eloquence in speech.

May You guide the beginning of my work, direct its progress, and bring it to completion, You who are true God and true Man, who live and reign, world without end.

Amen.

Veep Debate: Five Big Reasons Why Vance Won

Now that the dust has settled on this week's vice presidential debate we can take a closer look at the event and consider what happened and its ramifications. In the aftermath, there's very little doubt that Vance clearly bested Walz. In fact, even most liberal outlets have admitted that Vance had the edge as Walz seemed uncertain of himself, confused at times and even somewhat rumpled.

So, how did this happen? It wasn't an accident. Simply put, Vance was better prepared, more adept, more self-assured and a lot quicker on the uptake. Here's how Vance did it:

1) He played against type. Vice presidential candidates are often chosen to be attack dogs and many assumed Vance would fulfill this role. Indeed, the liberal media reinforced the notion that Vance would go negative and get nasty. From the outset, they painted this bearded pol as the villain. But Vance surprised them all. He was civil, cordial and downright friendly while still making his point, over and over again.

2) He gave his opponent space to flub. Vance seemed relaxed and almost laid back. This may have thrown Walz off and left the door open for Walz to flub, which he did in short order. Even when this happened, Vance did not go out of his way to point it out. He simply left Walz's stumbles lay there for everyone to see while he remained on message.

3) He was human and three-dimensional. Because Vance did not seem canned or over-prepared, he came across as more human, more real. He even paused at times to tell us about himself, recounting relevant episodes in his life. This lent him credibility and made his arguments all the more effective. 

4) He wasn't a crybaby. Let's face it: the moderators weren't fair. They were out to snag Vance and their questions, followups and asides made that obvious. They tag-teamed Vance. But this former Marine didn't complain about it. He remained polite and focused on the mission at hand. He did what he had to do.

5) He looked like the future. Without appearing like a novice, Vance nonetheless gave us a refreshing view of a smart, confident, natural young leader who could be in command of events while remaining kind and even self-effacing. This was like a breath of fresh air -- something people have been longing for. Vance went a long way toward restoring our confidence in tomorrow. He's got a bright future and, after watching him, we're thinking maybe the nation does as well!

How To Watch: Don't Miss This Tonight!

 

Christine And Dan On The Veep Debate Aftermath

Some Questions For Tim Walz Tonight . . .

 

VIDEO: Trump's MOST PRESCIENT Debate Moment!

Trump tried warn us mere DAYS ago on national TV:

“I probably took a bullet to the head because of the things that they say about me.

They talk about ‘I’m a threat to democracy’— they’re the threat to democracy.” pic.twitter.com/7lN2QdYXRd

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) September 15, 2024

In Fact, She Didn't Answer A Single Question!

From American Enterprise Institute's  widely respected analyst and commentator Matthew Continetti of the The Washington Free Beacon:

For my sins, I read the transcript of the debate after watching it live. Harris didn't answer a single question the moderators asked her, no matter the subject. Are Americans better off than four years ago? Why did the Biden-Harris administration wait three and a half years to address the border crisis? Why exactly has Harris junked her socialist policies from four years ago? Does she support a single restriction on abortion? OK, Trump asked the last one. The ABC anchors didn't follow up.

We'll Just Leave This Her For Awhile . . .

Harris is the equivalent of the person at work who sleeps with the boss, steals your ideas and calls them hers, double crosses the boss - gets him fired and tries to take his job lies about everything, fails at her job because she never bothers to learn how to do it, wrecks the… pic.twitter.com/OBYkOZp41X

— Trump Girl 🇺🇲🦅🇺🇲 (@MAGA__Patriot) September 12, 2024

A 'Hope I'm Wrong' Warning About The Debate

Watch out for this tonight: there seems to be some fluidity about the “silent mike” rule. 

I fear the moderators will allow Harris’ to stay on and permit her to continue to talk and/or talk over Trump or interrupt him, thus goading him and setting him off. And/or, they will keep Trump’s mike on if they think he’s heading toward insulting comments. 

If it’s done, it will be done very slickly — almost imperceptible to most viewers. I hope I’m wrong about this but, obviously, I don’t trust the moderators or the network

The Very Latest On The Debate Front . . . ?

 

A Proposal From President Trump . . .

 

Trump Candidly Comments On Debate And Aftermath

Here's a higher quality version of the leaked video of Trump saying Biden will be replaced by Kamala Hoerris. I love how he lowers his tone when using the F-word because his son Barron was sitting next to him

Such a wholesome man & father pic.twitter.com/kRDhN44yYA

— George (@BehizyTweets) July 4, 2024

Democrat Strategy: Grant Him Space, Then What?

Oh, yeah. The Democrats are in an awful, awful mess. 

But don't start celebrating just yet because the Democrat tribe has a penchant for survival and it knows how to unite and stay on message publicly when things get tough. And if it looks like the Dems will be able to ride this out ,all the nervous nellies in the media will calm down and climb back aboard the Democrat caravan as if nothing happened.

You can see some of this taking place already as the Dems spin "well Biden just had a bad night (everybody does now and then right?) while Trump flat out lied over and over again." And some media talking heads have already fallen into line with this fractured explanation. Fact is Biden had the worst night of any candidate in modern debate history going all the way back to 1960. And Biden has been lying, plagiarizing and making up fantastical stories his whole life --  most notably the 52 years he's been at the public trough. He's absolutely shameless.

But what are the Democrats to do? The Biden Family still holds the cards and reportedly the family is convening amidst the cloistered confines of Camp David (formerly knows as Shangra-La) to plan its next moves. So the Obamas and the Clintons and everybody from Dem Royalty on down has put out the word: be calm, express support publicly, give Joe and Jill time and space and hope they do the right thing. Forcing them out, you see, may backfire. Let them come to the conclusion (hopefully) on their own. Patience, patience . . . 

Theoretically, it sounds reasonable.

But there are dragonflies in the ointment -- most notably DR. Jill Biden herself. DR. Jill has stood by her man too long to be pushed aside now and there's no love lost between the Bidens and the Obamas and the Bidens and the Clintons. In fact, the Bidens are very much a solitary and separate bunch. They don't mingle well; they don't particularly trust others; they keep their own counsel and they're not in the habit of ceding ground -- not even one inch.

Biden & Company have always felt like outsiders. They're a resentful bunch and have been for a long time -- resentful of the haves; of the elites; of the intelligencia, the powerful and the entrenched. The way Joe and Jill see it, they gave up everything and spent decades clawing their way to the top, fighting powerful forces that belittled them, mocked them and dismissed them as mediocre at best. They gave up everything to get where they are and probably feel they've fought tougher battles (and faced longer odds) than this. So, why the hell should they give up now?

Joe Biden doesn't want to be seen as a quitter. His model has always been Franklin D. Roosevelt, not quitters like Richard Nixon and Lyndon Johnson or losers like Jimmy Carter and George H. W. Bush. 

Biden is an old Irish street fighter -- a Scranton brawler. He still sees himself as a modern day Palooka (aka Rocky) and his manager (his very own Mickey Goldmill) is Joltin' Jill. And DR. Jill's ever ready with a salve or tourniquet for her man.

Yes, America. The Doctor is in. And she doesn't appear to be the least bit ready to close up shop anytime soon.

Stay tuned . . . .