While Virginia-born Mikie Sherrill has lived up and down the East Coast before settling in New Jersey in 2010, Jack Ciattarelli is a born-and-raised Central Jersey native whose family’s roots in the Garden State go back 100 years.
Whether a candidate’s Jersey pedigree matters to voters remains to be seen, but Ciattarelli, the Republican gubernatorial nominee, seems to think it does, as he’s mentioned it multiple times campaigning against Democrat rival Sherrill for New Jersey governor.
“The Democrats tried this with [former New Jersey Gov.] Jon Corzine. He was from Illinois. You saw how that worked out,” Ciattarelli said at an August campaign rally. “You’ve seen this with [New Jersey Gov.] Phil Murphy. He was from Massachusetts. You saw how that worked out. Now we have someone else who’s not from New Jersey. I’ve got a better idea. How about we elect a Jersey guy?”
According to Politico’s New Jersey Playbook, Ciattarelli’s nativist attacks on Sherrill likely won’t boost his support among voters in a state where half of the residents were born somewhere else. New Jersey reportedly has the second-highest proportion of immigrants of any state, after California, which could partly explain why its politicians have sought to claim the Statue of Liberty for the Garden State.
By likening Sherrill to wealthy Democrats Corzine and Murphy, Ciattarelli is trying to cast doubt on her authenticity and ability to relate to everyday New Jerseyans. The Republican’s effort to paint Sherrill as an outsider could also be a way of showcasing his blue-collar credentials. Ciattarelli hails from the working-class town of Raritan, while Sherrill lives in the New York City suburb of Montclair, which has a reputation as a liberal enclave.
“Identity politics” is a term that is generally used to refer to progressive ideas on race and ethnicity, but FDU Poll Executive Director Dan Cassino told New Jersey Playbook that “voters are deciding mostly on the basis of identity and biography” when both candidates are not engaging in deep debate on their main message of affordability.
“If that’s the case, identity-based attacks are going to be effective,” Cassino said.
According to a recent poll from Fairleigh Dickinson University, Sherrill leads Ciattarelli by a surprisingly close 45% to 37% statewide. When respondents were asked about local issues, such as energy, flooding, or the New Jersey Transit system, the survey found that independent support for Ciattarelli ticked up by 7 percentage points. But when respondents were asked about national issues, such as President Donald Trump or immigration, Ciattarelli’s support among independents dropped by 4 percentage points.
The election for New Jersey governor is scheduled for Nov. 4.
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