The second of two public debates between the candidates in the 2025 New Jersey gubernatorial race – Republican Jack Ciattarelli and Democrat Mikie Sherrill – will be held at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center in New Brunswick on Oct. 8 from 7 p.m. and 8 p.m.
The event will be hosted by the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University. The debate will be broadcast live on ABC7/WABC-TV New York, 6abc/WPVI-TV Philadelphia, and across the stations’ streaming and digital platforms, and will be available to stream on ABC News Live, with a live simulcast on WXTV Univision 41 New York with Spanish captioning. The event is closed to the public.
Anchors Tamala Edwards of WPVI-TV Philadelphia and Bill Ritter of WABC-TV New York will ask questions and moderate the debate. Partners include the NJ Election Law Enforcement Commission and WXTV Univision 41 New York.
The gubernatorial race, one of just two in the U.S. this year, will be closely watched by the nation as a possible bellwether election ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
“The New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (NJ-ELEC) believes an informed electorate is the foundation of democracy. NJ-ELEC is proud to sponsor the 2025 gubernatorial general election and gratefully acknowledges and expresses its deep appreciation to the debate sponsors performing this important public service,” said New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission Chairman, Thomas H. Prol.
Ciattarelli and Sherrill met for the first gubernatorial debate on Sept. 21 at Rider University. Ciattarelli lost to Gov. Phil Murphy in 2021 by just 3 percentage points in a result that surprised political pundits.
Before running for governor, Ciattarelli, a Somerset County businessman, served as an assemblyman and in county and local government. Sherrill, a Montclair resident, is a fourth-term congresswoman in the state’s 11th District. She was a federal prosecutor and served in the U.S. Navy.
