The first N.J. Republican gubernatorial debate sets the stage for a nasty primary

Four Republican candidates for the New Jersey governorship set the tone for a nasty primary during their first debate Tuesday night at Rider University.

The candidates attacked one another from the get-go, fired up at the prospect of Republicans regaining power in New Jersey after two terms of Democratic rule.

Recent elections have suggested a gradual rightward shift in the Democratic-leaning state. President Donald Trump made gains in the state in November even as the state remained blue. And two of the candidates Tuesday night fixated on their loyalty to Trump.

Former Assembly member Jack Ciattarelli, who came within roughly three points of Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy four years ago, is throwing his hat in the ring for the third time. He is sparring with former conservative radio host Bill Spadea, State Sen. Jon Bramnick, and former State Sen. Ed Durr, who calls himself “Ed the trucker.”

» READ MORE: Meet 10 candidates looking to be the next New Jersey governor

A handful of other candidates have also made bids for the Republican primary but have not yet shown clear paths to victory.

Here are some key takeaways from Tuesday night’s debate, which was hosted by New Jersey Globe, On New Jersey, and Rider University:

The tone of the GOP debate was far different from the Democratic debate on Sunday night.

New Jersey Globe editor David Wildstein, one of the moderators, stated “we’re not going to get the kumbaya tonight we got on Sunday,” and called the Democratic debate “the quiet night.” Moderators struggled Tuesday to tame the candidates, who frequently spoke over one another and at times decided to prioritize going on offense or defense over answering the questions.

Ciattarelli name-dropped a website dedicated to attacking Spadea throughout the night, and Spadea mocked Ciattarelli for doing so. Spadea called Ciattarelli a “professional politician,” and Ciattarelli called Spadea a “professional liar.”

Durr said that Bramnick’s 2022 vote for Democratic Attorney General Matt Platkin’s Senate confirmation should “disqualify” him from the debate stage, and Bramnick said Durr lost his Senate seat after one term because his “judgment was bad.”

When Durr said he’s “here for the people, not the establishment like you,” Bramnick jabbed Durr for losing reelection. “You weren’t here for the voters — the voters told you to take a hike,” Bramnick said.

While some Democrats made some nameless jabs about their opponents’ voting records on Sunday night, they were largely cordial.

But on Tuesday, the knives were out and were never put away.

» READ MORE: Here’s what you missed at the first debate between the six Democrats vying to be N.J. governor

Ciattarelli and Spadea fought throughout the debate over who is more loyal to Trump.

“As for Bill Spadea, when he’s not lying about me or trashing Donald Trump, he’s someone that refers to the moderate wing of our party as RINOs [Republicans in name only],” Ciattarelli said in his opening statement.

That energy continued between the two of them throughout the debate, accusing each other of supporting anti-Trump politicians in the past and sharing views that contradicted the president’s.

“At least Jon Bramnick, when he goes after Trump … he’s being honest, unlike Jack Ciattarelli, who is a liar,” Spadea said in his closing statement.

Bramnick showed that he is not afraid to speak out against Trump, and the audience did not like that.

He was met with boos and grumbling from the crowd when he mentioned the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and said he did not support the president’s widespread pardons for rioters, including those who attacked police officers.

“Either we’re the party of law and order, or we’re not,” Bramnick said. “… I will stand with police officers every time.”

Bramnick was the only candidate to say he would support a referendum on constitutionally protecting a right to abortion.

Spadea and Durr both said that they would not support one because they believe the state’s access to abortion is too extreme in the first place.

Spadea touted endorsements from the state and national Right to Life organizations and said the state should support antiabortion “pregnancy resource centers.”

Ciattarelli said he supports the right to choose, but he also voiced support for a bill that would restrict abortion after five months of pregnancy, with exceptions, and said he believes parents should be notified if their child gets an abortion. He did not answer whether he supports an abortion referendum.

More broadly, Bramnick said referendums and initiatives are the only way “the voice of the public can only be heard” because the legislature has been long controlled by Democrats.

Ciattarelli said he would specifically support initiatives and referendums on the state’s school funding formula and affordable housing mandate if Republicans do not obtain a majority in Trenton.

Spadea said he does not support initiatives and referendums because they have “almost always been a tool of the insiders, the elites, the professional politicians, to get more of our taxpayer dollars.”

When asked how the candidates would prevent the spread of a future epidemic or public health crisis, Bramnick said he would bring in infectious-disease experts and scientists, and not make decisions based on “somebody on the internet.”

But he also denounced Murphy for continuing to extend the COVID-19 state of emergency without input from the public or the legislature.

“When you do a state of emergency, you need to have public input,” Bramnick said. “That was a major failure.”

Ciattarelli said that as governor, he would strike a “balance between public safety and keeping things as open as possible, so that we don’t harm our economy,” and said he’s a “live-and-let-live guy” in terms of whether people want to wear a mask or get vaccinated.

Spadea took a more aggressive anti-vaccine approach and said he would provide retroactive pay and reinstate people who did not “submit to the tyranny of the masks and the forced jab.”

Durr said he would “allow the people to decide what’s best for them.”

The other candidates gave Bramnick heat for voting in support of the Freedom to Read Act, a recent law that requires school boards and public library governing bodies to establish policies for library materials in an effort to prevent arbitrary book bans, including a system to review concerns over books.

Under the law, books can be censored if the material is deemed developmentally inappropriate, but they cannot be banned over the author’s views. The law also protects librarians from legal action for following the law’s guidelines. Bramnick was the only Republican in the state Senate to vote for it.

“Before this, we had the wild, wild West,” Bramnick said. “There were no rules whatsoever.”

Durr claimed that the bill allows librarians to “provide pornography to children,” and Bramnick told him that he should actually read the bill and not just the title.

Ciattarelli said that the only public employees who should be legally immune are police officers. Spadea said that he would have vetoed the bill as governor and that he would stand up for parents who believe their students are being shown pornography.