TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — The election for New Jersey’s next governor is less than a month away and the top two party candidates are out with new TV ads pressing their case to voters.
Here’s a look at two of the ads released this week:
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‘SANCTUARY’
THEME: Republican Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno released an ad Wednesday attacking Democratic rival Phil Murphy, using a soundbite of him from Tuesday’s debate saying he’s open to making New Jersey a sanctuary state.
LENGTH: 30 seconds
TRANSCRIPT: A male narrator says: “Illegal alien and child rapist Jose Carranza shot four New Jersey students in the head. Three died, shattering their families. When asked about deporting criminal illegals, Phil Murphy said.”
The ad then shows Murphy saying, “My bias is going to be having their back.”
The narrator returns and says: “Make no mistake: Murphy would have the backs of deranged murderers like Carranza. Providing sanctuary in New Jersey.”
Quoting Murphy from the debate, the ad continues: “We’ll be a sanctuary – not just city – but state.”
The narrator then says: “Murphy doesn’t have our backs. He has theirs. Phil Murphy: Too dangerous for New Jersey.”
ANALYSIS: The ad hinges on Murphy’s comment that he would support so-called sanctuary status for New Jersey. It leaves out, however, that Murphy added during the debate that the crimes were “heinous” and that those responsible should be prosecuted “to the fullest extent of the law.”
Carranza, a Peruvian native who had been in the country illegally at the time of the slayings, was convicted in 2007 of killing three college-bound friends in Newark. He has contended that he was at the crime scene but didn’t participate in the killings. Six men and boys were convicted or pleaded guilty in the slayings. Carranza got a total sentence of 155 years and an appeal earlier this year was denied.
The ad also invokes Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, when he called out people in the country illegally charged with crimes.
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‘NEVER’
THEME: Democrat Phil Murphy unveiled an ad this week saying that he would have voters’ backs and criticizing Guadagno over the handling of the economy.
LENGTH: 30 seconds.
TRANSCRIPT: Murphy narrates the ad. He says over the image of young children playing: “They’ve never known a New Jersey where everyone had a fair shot.” The image then changes to a blurry photo of Guadagno and Christie and continues: “Because their economy worked only for those at the very top.” Murphy introduces himself and says he doesn’t “owe the insiders anything.”
He continues: “We can build a stronger, fairer economy that works for every New Jersey family, with investments in public schools, small businesses and infrastructure. I’ve got their back. And yours.”
ANALYSIS: Murphy’s ad misses the fact that the Great Recession has ended and the unemployment rate dropped from nearly 10 percent when Christie took office to 4.5 percent in August, the latest data available. Murphy has also repeatedly said that he doesn’t owe insiders anything, a nod to his never being elected to office and financing his primary campaign with his personal wealth. But it misses the fact that he also donated tens of thousands of dollars to local Democratic Party organizations.
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For more on the New Jersey governor’s race, go to https://apnews.com/tag/NewJerseyGovernor’sRace
