New Jersey Democratic gubernatorial nominee Rep. Mikie Sherrill, on the stage moments at the start of their second and final debate on Oct. 8, 2025, in New Brunswick, N.J. (Paul Steinhauser - Fox News Digital)
"I think we've laid out the case that Jack is complicit with these opioid companies, in league with these opioid companies," Sherrill said.
The reporter asks Sherrill again, "So you’re saying he killed tens of thousands of New Jersey residents?"
"I think he is right there with the people that again paid billions of dollars," Sherrill replied. "So I think that the line is pretty clear."
Sherrill first made her claims that Ciattarelli contributed to the opioid epidemic during last week’s gubernatorial debate.
‘GETTING DESPERATE’: GOVERNOR DEBATE GETS PERSONAL AFTER DEMOCRAT IS MOCKED FOR CHEATING SCANDAL
Ciattarelli fired back the day after the debate, pledging to file a defamation lawsuit against Sherrill.
"Mikie Sherrill cracked," Ciattarelli campaign chief strategist, Chris Russell charged in a statement Thursday.
"In doing so, she claimed — twice — that Jack Ciattarelli ‘killed tens of thousands of people, including children,’ a clearly defamatory attack that shocked the moderators, press, and public alike," Russell added. "In a time where political violence and violent rhetoric are becoming all too prevalent, Mikie Sherrill baselessly and recklessly accusing a political opponent of mass murder in a televised debate crosses the line."
Jack Ciattarelli, the GOP gubernatorial nominee in New Jersey, takes questions from reporters following a debate on Oct. 8, 2025, in New Brunswick, N.J. (Paul Steinhauser - Fox News)
It was during his 2021 campaign that Ciattarelli's connection to opioid manufacturers first surfaced. Ciattarelli sold his company, which published content promoting the use of opioids as a low-risk treatment for chronic pain, in 2017.
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At a post-debate news conference last week, Ciattarelli claimed the attack by Sherrill was "a desperate tactic by a desperate campaign on behalf of a desperate candidate."
Sherrill, asked after the debate if she had proof directly linking Ciattarelli to the opioid deaths, told reporters, "I guess he’s not really expressed anything about this. I think there’s a lot we don’t know. I think he continues to not be very transparent about it."
Rep. Mikie Sherrill, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee in New Jersey, takes questions from reporters following a debate on Oct. 8, 2025, in New Brunswick, N.J. (Paul Steinhauser - Fox News)
New Jersey and Virginia are the only two states to hold gubernatorial contests the year after a presidential election, which means the races traditionally grab outsized national attention.
This year's ballot box showdowns are viewed as crucial early tests of Trump's popularity and second-term agenda, and are considered key barometers ahead of next year's midterm elections for the U.S. House and Senate.
The winner of next month's election in New Jersey will succeed the term-limited Murphy.
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While Democrats have long dominated federal and state legislative elections in blue-leaning New Jersey, Republicans are very competitive in gubernatorial contests, winning five out of the past ten elections.
In the 2025 race, political history favors both parties.
The party that wins the White House tends to lose the New Jersey and Virginia gubernatorial elections the following year, which favors the Democrats. But Democrats in New Jersey are also trying to buck history — it's been over six decades since a party won three straight Garden State gubernatorial elections.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/nj-dem-mikie-sherrill-doubles-down-claim-ciattarelli-complicit-opioid-deaths-of-thousands