The New Jersey governor’s career is providing an early evidence for Democrats trying to navigate the spiny issues of border immigration and security after Donald Trump’s victory, and those problems are already dividing the candidates of the party.
“Those national problems will be great in this governor’s career,” said the president of the NJ Democratic Party, Leroy Jones. “He has already done it.”
A field full of people from the Democrats, including mayors, members of Congress and a former state senate leader compete to replace the limited Democratic governor for term Phil Murphy, and primary school could be an early testing field for the party , since it regroups of 2024 election. Trump lost New Jersey by 6 points, but saw a 10 -point swing in his direction compared to 2020, the second largest in any state in the country.
When six of the main Democratic candidates gathered for a debate last week, immigration emerged as a clear dividing line among progressive and more moderate candidates.
“I would say that we have to be honest here, No. 1. It cannot be said that you support immigrants in New Jersey, but vote for Lak Riley’s law,” said Newark mayor, Ras Baraka, essentially calling the Democratic Representative Josh Gottheimer, although not by name, To support the measure, which requires that the immigration and application of the United States customs arrest undocumented immigrants arrested or convicted of several crimes.
The mayor of Jersey City, Steve Fulop, also called Laken Riley’s law as “dangerous” and said “served to undermine the authority of the attorney general here in New Jersey.” Fulop pressed Gottheimer in the Immigrant Trust Law, a state law to limit the state and local application of federal immigration laws.
Gottheimer did not recognize Fulop’s question, and the moderators continued. Gottheimer defended his vote for Federal Law Laken Riley in the debate, which was placed by the New Jersey Globe, at the University of New Jersey and Rider.
“If you are a murderer, a criminal, a rapist, breaks into people’s houses in the middle of the night with a gun while the children sleep, and you are undocumented, you shouldn’t be here, right?” Gottheimer said. “And you shouldn’t be in this state. You shouldn’t be in this country.”
Gottheimer was one of the 46 Democrats from the House of Representatives who voted for the measure, but the only New Jersey Democrat to support her.
Representative Mikie Sherrill, who also runs for governor and is one of the main candidates, voted against the bill, saying in a statement that the measure “requires detention and eliminates the rights of due process for some people, including the Daca beneficiaries, who have not been convicted or accused of a crime. ”
In the debate stage, Sherrill said that “basic humanity” often lacks immigration debates, asking for “comprehensive immigration reform” and a path to citizens for undocumented immigrants.
“And we also need better border security,” Sherrill added.
The former president of the state Senate, Steve Sweeney, opposed the recent immigration raids, but also suggested that those who commit crimes should be deported.
“So look, we don’t want to gather people who haven’t done anything wrong. Absolutely, ”said Sweeney. “But people who have violated the law in this country, sorry, need to leave it.”
Sean Spiller, a Jamaican immigrant and president of the New Jersey masters union, also raised concerns about the recent ice raids, saying: “They go for all of us and that should scare us each of us.”
The candidates joined in opposition to the Trump plan for generalized deportations.
When asked if one of the objectives of the next governor should be to protect immigrants in the state, even those who are in the state illegally, almost all candidates raised their hands, including Gottheimer.
Sherrill was the only candidate who did not raise his hand, denying to participate in any question to raise by hand. But she replied: “We should protect people in New Jersey, especially with the Constitution.”
Imminent attacks
The Republicans rushed to jump at that time, with the Association of Republican governors sharing a clip of the debate on X, writing: “When asked if the #NJGOV candidates would protect immigrants *, including those who are illegally here, * All Democrats said: Yes. “
“Just out of the door, New Jersey Democrats are demonstrating that they are going to put the extreme left policy on common sense policy, especially when it comes to immigration,” said RGA communications director Courtney Alexander in a statement in a statement . “You don’t look for more than the very first Democratic debate when each candidate raised their hands to say that the objective of the next governor should be to protect illegal immigrants.”
Julie Roginsky, a Democratic strategist who has worked on New Jersey races, but is not involved in the governor’s career, said it is not yet clear if the Republican party will effectively take advantage of this problem in the general elections.
“It depends on how they package it. The Association of Republican governors is packing it as Trump’s arm would, which is vilifying undocumented immigrants only for what they are. There is not where this new sweater,” Roginsky said. “To the extent that they” are not popular in New Jersey, it is why people perceive undocumented immigrants who financially cost the State, not only because they are here in the state. “
Roginsky said that the affordability is “always the name of the game” in the state elections, and has promoted republican success at the state level. He pointed out that Murphy was the first Democratic governor since the 1970s to win a second term, and won re -election in 2021 for only 3 points.
“For anyone who has done campaigns in New Jersey, he understands that although New Jersey is a democratic state, it is not always a progressively democratic state,” Roginsky said.
On the Republican side, Murphy’s Republican opponent in 2021, former state assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli, is running again and is the main candidate in the Republican primaries, which also presents the presenter of Radio Bill Spadea, former state senator Ed Dur who defeated Sweeney in an annoying in 2021, and state senator Jon Bramanck.
The Democrats pointed out the hug of Republicans for Trump’s immigration policies, such as ending the citizenship of birth law, such as problematic positions in New Jersey, where almost a quarter of their residents are immigrants.
“Unlike the Democrats, who agree that we need to modernize our immigration system, ensure our border and keep the communities safe, Republicans who run for governor in New Jersey want to tear families and destroy the Constitution, Once again pushing extremism, chaos, chaos, and division instead of offering real solutions, “said Izzi Levy, senior communications advisor to the Association of Democratic Governors.
Democrats will have to decide on a nominated before facing Republicans on the subject. And that implies appealing so much to a progressive primary electorate, while directing future attacks of the Republican party.
Jones, the president of the state party who also directs Essex County Democrats, said Democrats will have an agenda focused on “the protection and obtaining of people’s rights and freedoms.” (Jones also denied a report by New Jersey Globe that he is expected to support Sherrill as president of the Essex County Party. He said he will not support until the leaders of the County intervene).
Jones said immigration “was obviously a problem” in the 2024 elections, but added that other problems were at stake in New Jersey, including economics and education.
“What we did not do, and what we will do in the future is to deepen the problems of the kitchen table that affect all News and Americans throughout the country,” said Jones, and adding immigration is “absolutely” one of they.
Winning voters in immigration is not an easy task for Democrats, and voters in recent years say they trust Republicans to better manage the issue.
“I think the Democrats are trying to discover how to be faithful to their ideals, their sense of clean play for all and due process for all, while recognizing that public opinion has moved against them on this issue,” Micah said Rasmussen, director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey’s policy at the University of Rider and a co-moderator of the recent democratic debate.
Rasmussen said that the Democrats are not expected to focus a lot on immigration in the governor’s career in the future, instead of concentrating on economic issues such as the high cost of living.
But he pointed out that the Democrats also run the risk of allowing Republicans to define them on the subject if they do not speak of immigration at all.
“It’s a needle that has to thread,” said Rasmussen.
