Affordability
Sherill – positive impacts for Ocean County Residents
- Focused on increasing affordable housing by introducing INCREASE Housing Affordability Act to help convert vacant commercial & office spaces
- Sponsored legislation to offset NJ’s high cost of living by using a regionally adjusted poverty line to expand eligibility for programs like SNAP & CHIP so more families qualify
- Fought for lower prescription drug & healthcare costs – co-sponsored “Lower Drug Costs Now Act
Ciattarelli – negative impacts for Ocean County Residents – lower wages, weaker safety nets, less $’s to NJ to help slash corporate taxes
- Supported ending the additional $300 weekly federal unemployment supplement
- Opposed push for $15/hour minimum wage
Health Care Costs
Sherill – reduction in healthcarecosts, increased transparency
- Voted to pass the Inflation Reduction Act which helps reduce healthcare costs
- Advocates for greater transparency in premium pricing to force insurers to justify increases & provide patients to have choices
- Supports expanding access to preventative care
- Proposes independent audits of state health benefits program to identify & recover overpayments - reduce costs for counties & municipalities & potentially lowering property taxes
Ciattarelli – votes against the ACA & supports Trump’s budget bill which slashes Medicaid
- Major hit to Ocean County by supporting the Trump Budget bill slashing Medicaid for millions of people
- As a state legislator, voted against legislation requiring insurance plans to offer essential benefits including mental health services, maternity care & prescription drugs
- Supported efforts to repeal the ACA w/o offering a clear replacement
Reproductive Rights
Sherill – fights for women’s right to choose and healthcare
- Led the fight to protect women’s access to emergency abortion care
- Ensure military women have access to contraceptive & abortion
- Strongly supports expanding access to contraception & IVF services
Ciattarelli – Against women’s right to choose
- Opposes the states 2022 law protecting a woman’s right to make reproductive decisions – Reproductive Freedom Act
- Advocates defunding Planned Parenthood which is urgently needed for healthcare for lower income women
Education
Sherill – Committed to maintaining robust support for public education and its educators & resources including mental health resources
Ciattarelli – risks politicizing curriculum through parental control mandates, favors expansion of voucher style private school funding risking diverting public school resources
Transportation
Sherill – advocated & supported NJ infrastructure programs
- Helped secure $292M from the bi-partisan infrastructure act which was vital for completing the gateway project & improving Amtrak/NJ Transit service between NY & NJ
- Protected commuter service & union jobs during bus provider closures
- As governor pledged to work with Federal partners and NY to keep the Gateway projects funded and on schedule
Ciattarelli – opposes public transit enhancements
- Opposed major rail projects including ARC tunnel, light rail & underfunded transit
- Blocked corporate fees, resisted toll hikes which limited dedicated transit funding
The Environment
Sherill – strong climate leadership & clean energy commitment needed to combat the perils faced by Ocean County residents
- Acknowledges the reality of climate change & prioritizes actions across flood mitigation, PFAS contamination, open space protection and carbon reduction efforts
- Voted for the Inflation Reduction Act which has substantial investments in renewable energy and job creation
Ciattarelli – climate rating of 18.87% from independent scorecards – low alignment with climate urgency & policies
- No detailed policy or cost proposals
- Acknowledges climate concerns but opposed major mitigation tools
Working Families & Labor
Sherill – strong advocate for fair wages & benefits
As Governor, she will be committed to giving labor leaders and workers a seat at the table where major decisions are made
As governor, she will continue to support union labor by investing in infrastructure and clean energy projects, expanding pathways to good-paying union jobs, and cracking down on wage theft and fraud in public works.
- She will appoint a strong Commissioner of Labor & an Attorney General who will enforce wage & hour laws protecting labor agreements.
Ciatarelli – in 2025, told a crowd of more than 300 teachers demanding his support for full pension payment – “Life isn’t fair”. Teachers pensions are the can getting kicked down the road"
Election Related
Sherill – strong proponent for voting rights & transparency
- Co-sponsor of the “For the People Act” & the “Voting Rights Advancement Act”, she supported measures to expand early voter registration, early voting & absentee voting
- She supports campaign finance reform, including overturning Citizen’s United, increasing transparency & reducing the influence of dark money in politics.
Ciatarelli – for decreasing ease of voting
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Require Voter ID at the polls
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Require all people using mail-in ballots to prove their identity and citizenship before getting a ballot.
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Would end the process of counting ballots postmarked by election day but received after close of polls.
