Join Jeanette Hoffman and Joshua Henne—two political veterans from opposite sides—in a weekly column that dives into New Jersey’s gubernatorial race. Each week, the husband-and-wife duo offers candid insights, spirited debate, and insider perspectives on the key issues, campaign strategies, and political drama shaping the election. Whether you lean left or right, Hoffman and Henne bring you a modern-day bipartisan exchange—thought-provoking, witty, and unfiltered.
This week, Hoffman and Henne dive straight into the heated contest between Jack Ciattarelli and Mikie Sherrill. From polls and endorsements to Naval Academy scandals, Trump’s shadow and even pork roll politics, the two seasoned strategists waste no time sparring over what’s driving the race and where New Jersey voters may be headed.
JEANETTE: The match-up between Republican Jack Ciattarelli and Democrat Mikie Sherrill is proving to be a slugfest and the hottest race in the country.
The latest polls are showing a deadheat, and Jack clearly has the momentum on his side, winning key endorsements from the Fraternal Order of Police and important Democrats from throughout the state.
And we learned Mikie Sherril was involved in a massive cheating scandal when she was at the US Naval Academy — but she won’t disclose any information about it. For someone who’s made her entire personality about her Navy service, this issue isn’t going away any time soon.
JOSHUA: I’m loathe to start things off talking horserace polls…but the fact remains Mikie’s consistently led all public polling. Even Fox News has her up 50%-42% among likely voters. The tied Emerson Poll is the sole contradicting outlier. In fact, the only place Jack’s ahead is according to his own pollster… who was Trump’s old pollster. And touting that is like the ugly kid telling everyone “My mom says I’m handsome.”
JEANETTE: Yes, I’ve heard your mom tell you you’re handsome a lot, Joshua.
JOSHUA: Ha….well, my mom also knows winning campaigns don’t center closing arguments around stuff that occurred during Bill Clinton’s first presidential term. To paraphrase Clinton though.… Jack Ciattarelli wants to make this race about Mikie and her Naval Academy problems. Mikie Sherrill wants to make this election about you and your problems. I know which campaign message matters more to voters.
The fact remains that New Jersey needs a leader who’ll stand up for the state and stand up to Trump. It’s clear Ciattarelli will simply bend the knee. That’s the last thing we need with MAGA extremists running roughshod at the federal level.
JEANETTE: It comes back to credibility and Mikie Sherrill not being the stand-up person she says she is. She broke the rules in the Naval Academy, just like she broke the law in Congress, when she made $7 million trading defense stocks on the House Armed Services Committee and had to pay a federal penalty. How can voters trust Mikie to protect THEIR interests when she’s willing to break the rules to benefit her own?
But more than that, Jack has a concrete plan to fix New Jersey. Mikie doesn’t have a grasp of New Jersey’s problems — she’s simply relying on national headlines to get her through this race. Voters know that our property taxes, energy rates, and overall business climate are among the worst in the entire nation. That’s a result of eight years of Phil Murphy in the State House, not eight months of Donald Trump in the White House.
JOSHUA: Every four years, our gubernatorial election is viewed as a referendum on the President. The last time a Republican was in the White House and the GOP won the governor’s office was 40 years ago – back when MacGuyver and the Golden Girls premiered. Donald Trump is no Ronald Reagan. And Jack Ciatarelli is no Tom Kean. Though I’m sure we’ll be hearing a whole lot from Mikie about how Jack and Donald are perfect together…and perfectly wrong for New Jersey.
JEANETTE: Come on, Joshua…voters haven’t elected a governor from the same party for three terms since 1961. And there’s a reason for that. In a recent poll, 76 percent said they wanted change in November. Jack is the only candidate who represents the change we need to fix our state after eight years of Democrats controlling the Statehouse.
JOSHUA: I actually feel bad for Jack. It’s hard to be a change agent when you’re a career politician who’s been running for governor for a decade – already losing twice in a row. And this third go-around’s a terrible time to run as a Republican. Jack has to answer for Trump. And he’s got the wind in his face when it comes to the mind-boggingly terrible MAGA D.C. policies making life harder and less affordable here in the Garden State. I’m talking the cost of eggs and hamburgers, rent and housing. ROI readers know first-hand Trump’s tariffs made things pricier for businesses, not to mention more unstable and harder to plan. Moreover, DOGE’s wrecking ball and the GOP Big Awful Bill both hurt New Jerseyans – making it more expensive to get healthcare, killing jobs, making groceries skyrocket, etc. Don’t forget armed troops in the streets, government shutdowns and vaccine kookiness putting kids at-risk. Jack will also have problems building upon last year’s electoral gains with Latino voters – due to both higher costs and fear of ICE raids, with masked men snatching up neighbors and spiriting them away.
Jack has to own all this meshugana…because he lurched so far to the right. So, Mikie would be wise to keep talking about affordability and fighting for New Jersey families. Along those lines, by far the Sherrill’s campaign’s best day was calling for a state of emergency and freeze on energy prices.
JEANETTE: Democrats are trying to federalize this race because Mikie is a deeply flawed candidate who offers no plan to fix the problems caused by Trenton Democrats…because it’s the same Trenton Democrats who are running her campaign.
And…a new video recently surfaced with Mikie Sherrill asking, “Who eats pork roll? I think that’s gross.” Ummm, we do Mikie. We’re from New Jersey, and pork roll (taylor ham?) is our unofficial state food and it’s delicious.
This is as cringy as Bill DeBlasio eating pizza with a fork. While we joke about it, Mikie Sherrill just doesn’t know New Jersey, and that’s her biggest problem.
Follow Hoffman & Henne’s Inside the Race column every Tuesday at ROI-NJ.com.
