Murphy, Ciattarelli Step Back As Running Mates Debate Tonight

NEW JERSEY - Two major party candidates in New Jersey vying for the spot of second-in-command will take to the debate stage for the first and only time in 2021 on Tuesday night.

Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver and Republican Diane Allen, a former state senator, will participate in a debate at 7 p.m. at Rider University in Lawrenceville sponsored by nonprofit New Jersey Globe. The debate will be moderated by New Jersey Globe editor David Wildstein and include questions from Micah Rasmussen, the director of the Rebovich Institute of New Jersey Politics at Rider University, as well as CEO of Project Ready Shennell McCloud.

The debate can be livestreamed on Facebook Live, Twitter, YouTube and the New Jersey Globe website. It will be rebroadcast on Oct. 9 on Talk Radio 77 WABC at 4 p.m.

Oliver is running alongside Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, as both are seeking a second four-year term in the state. Prior to serving as the second-ever lieutenant governor, the Essex County resident spent 20 years in the state Legislature, notably taking the role of speaker of the state Assembly. She currently also runs the state Department of Community Affairs.

Allen is running with Jack Ciattarelli, the Republican candidate for governor and a former state Assemblyman. The Burlington County resident started her career as a television news anchor in Philadelphia and first served on the Moorestown Board of Education at 21 years old, but transitioned to politics full-time in 1995 after running for state Assembly, then state Senate in 1997. She came out of retirement earlier this year to pull her support for Ciattarelli.

Related: Who Is Ciattarelli's Running Mate Diane Allen? See Key Issues

The lieutenant governor serves as first-in-command whenever the governor is out of town or should the governor leave office. The position also provides financial and logistic help to local officials throughout the state.

While neither candidate received more than 50 percent support in the latest poll released last week, Murphy leads Ciattarelli 50 percent to 41 percent, among 552 likely voters that were polled by the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton University (nine percent were undecided or didn't like either candidate). Read more: Murphy Tops Ciattarelli In Latest Stockton Poll

One-fourth of those polled cited the pandemic as the biggest issue pressing the state right now, with Murphy holding a 50 percent to 34 percent lead over Ciattarelli regarding pandemic policies. The election's next top issues are identified as taxes in general (12 percent), property taxes (10 percent) and the economy (6 percent).

Ciattarelli topped Murphy when it came to taxes, with 46 percent saying they see Ciattarelli as better at handling New Jersey tax policy, compared to 38 percent on that issue. It was a statistical tie when it comes to the state's economy, with 43 percent favoring Ciattarelli and 42 percent favoring Murphy.

The gubernatorial candidates already hit the debate stage on Sept. 28, with topics such as the COVID-19 pandemic, policing, race relations and Tropical Storm Ida response at the forefront of the discussion. A second and final debate is slated for Oct. 12 at Rowan University in Glassboro. It will be broadcast on PBS.

A separate debate will be sponsored for three other gubernatorial candidates (Heather Warburton of the Green Party, Vivian Sahner of the Socialist Workers Party, and Eveline Brownstein of the Libertarian Party) on Oct. 11 at 9 p.m. Although all three candidates will be featured on the November ballot, none met the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission fundraising goals and therefore are not eligible to participate in official debates.

The general election is Nov. 2, although mail-in ballots are already being filed and early in-person voting will begin Oct. 23. Here’s what you need to know to cast your vote: 2021 General Election Voting Deadlines, Timeline In New Jersey