As Election Day approaches on Tuesday, Nov. 4, New Jersey voters will have the chance to help shape New Jersey’s political direction. With many seniors at Pascack Valley High School eligible to vote, candidates’ policies in the election are likely to shape students’ futures. It’s safe to say that the results could have a lasting impact on this generation.
Ballots this year include races for governor, General Assembly, county commissioner, and local school boards.
At the top of the ticket, Republican Jack Ciattarelli and Democrat Mikie Sherrill are locked in a close battle for governor, with campaigns emphasizing two distinct visions for the state’s economy, education system, transportation, and public safety— among other issues.
Jack Ciattarelli is a former state assemblyman and small-business owner, priding himself as the ‘CEO candidate’ from Somerset County. Ciattarelli previously ran for governor in 2021, coming within three points of Phil Murphy. He ran but did not receive the party nomination in 2017. Before the GOP primary, President Donald Trump announced his endorsement of Ciattarelli.
Mikie Sherrill is a former Navy helicopter pilot and federal prosecutor, and she has represented New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District in the House of Representatives since 2019. Originally from Virginia, Sherrill now lives in Montclair. Sherrill has received big-time endorsements from Democrats, most recently from former President Barack Obama.
Both candidates spent time last week in Bergen County as their campaigns are heading down the stretch. Sherrill held a rally in Paramus on Saturday with Gretchen Whitmore, the governor of Michigan, while Ciattarelli rallied in Bergenfield and Dumont on Sunday, also welcoming Vivek Ramaswamy to Saddle Brook last Wednesday.
Policies
Controversies
The final weeks of the campaign have been dominated by controversy on both sides.
Questions resurfaced regarding Sherrill’s past at the United States Naval Academy, where she did not walk with her graduating class, NJ Globe reported. Sherrill claims that she was not allowed to walk due to her decision not to report a cheating scandal involving her classmates, which she has defended in both gubernatorial debates.
Ciattarelli has suggested that there may be more to the story than Sherrill has publicly shared.
“She needs to come clean with the state of New Jersey as to why she was severely punished at the Naval Academy,” Ciattarelli told Fox News.
Following the second gubernatorial debate, the Ciattarelli campaign has been under fire after Sherrill accused him of killing “tens of thousands” of people through his former medical publishing company. Ciattarelli immediately dismissed the claim as “desperate,” and his campaign intends to pursue legal action against Sherrill for defamation.
“I think you’re trying to divert from the fact that you killed tens of thousands of people by printing your misinformation, your propaganda,” Sherrill said in the second gubernatorial debate. “Families across this state deserve to know more about that.”
Amid the escalating exchanges, recent polls show the race tightening, with some now calling it a toss-up heading into Election Day.
PV Polling
To gauge the race among young voters, The Echo conducted a Pascack Valley poll ahead of Election Day to see how the PV student body would vote. Out of 95 responses, results suggest a slight lead for Sherrill, with 56% of the vote, to Ciattarelli’s 40%
The freshmen, sophomores, and seniors each voted in favor of Sherrill, while the juniors were the lone grade to vote in favor of Ciattarelli.
Down-Ballot Races
Beyond the governor’s race, several key contests will appear on ballots in Hillsdale and River Vale.
General Assembly: In the 39th Legislative District, Republican incumbents Robert Auth and John Azzariti are both seeking reelection and will face off against Democrats Donna Abene and Andrew LaBruno.
County Commissioner: Incumbent Democrats Thomas Sullivan, Mary Amoroso, and Germaine Ortiz are running to keep their seat on the Board of Commissioners, while John Dinice, Andrea Slowikowski, and River Vale resident Jay Costa are looking to take over under Republican leadership. Republicans have not won a commissioner seat since 2013.
Board of Education: Non-partisan school elections are also on this year’s ballot.
On Hillsdale’s ballot, Jonathan Braunstein, Salvatore Sileo, Daniel DeFeo, and Kathleen Puerta are running for the Hillsdale Board of Education
On River Vale’s ballot, James Stankus is running for reelection on the Pascack Valley Regional High School Board of Education. Louan Austin and Virginia Senande are running for reelection to the River Vale Public Schools Board of Education, while Emily Leffler and Thomas Quinn are running for their first term.
