Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D) reported about $6.5 million left in reserves on Oct. 3, compared to Republican Jack Ciattarelli’s nearly $4 million. (Amanda Brown for New Jersey Monitor)
Democrat Mikie Sherrill held a cash and fundraising lead over Republican Jack Ciattarelli as this year’s gubernatorial election moved into its final month, according to new campaign finance reports.
Sherrill, a four-term congresswoman, raised $17.5 million since the end of June, edging out the $16.5 million brought in by Ciattarelli, according to disclosures filed with the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission. Sherrill reported about $6.5 million left in reserves on Oct. 3, compared to Ciattarelli’s nearly $4 million.
“Jack is definitely raising quicker than he raised the last time, but that is not a surprise given he has the additional experience of having run before,” said Micah Rasmussen, director of Rider University’s Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics. “Mikie has had to raise before, so she’s got that going for her, but she’s also from the majority party in this state.”
In 2021, when Ciattarelli was also the GOP nominee for governor, he reported having raised a little under $10.1 million 29 days out from Election Day. He lost that race to Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat who is leaving office after two terms in January.
For this election, Ciattarelli has spent more than his opponent, putting nearly $12.6 million into the contest to Sherrill’s roughly $11 million.
Both candidates have received similar amounts of public matching funds from the state. Through Oct. 3, Ciattarelli’s campaign had received $9.6 million in matching dollars, while Sherrill received $10.5 million, including $801,619 not reflected on her most recent campaign filing.
New Jersey’s gubernatorial public financing program offers eligible candidates matching funds at a rate of 2-to-1 for every dollar the candidates raise. In exchange, candidates for governor must agree to participate in debates hosted by the Election Law Enforcement Commission and observe spending limits.
This year, gubernatorial candidates can receive up to $12.5 million in matching dollars for the general election and must agree to spend no more than $18.5 million on the contest.
Both candidates have raised enough on their own to cap out their matching funds.
The overwhelming share of both candidates’ expenses went to media production, ad buys, campaign literature, and lawn signs. Those items accounted for roughly $11 million of Ciattarelli’s expenditures and $8.6 million of Sherrill’s spending.
The largest share of the Republican’s spending, just over $4.8 million, went to ads on network television.
He vastly outspent Sherrill on digital ads, putting $3.6 million behind internet messaging to Sherrill’s $970,645. Sherrill’s $2.8 million in spending on cable ads more than doubled the $964,494 Ciattarelli put behind them.
It’s not clear how much the congresswoman has spent airing advertisements on network television. Her latest report did not include any items with that purpose, though the $4.2 million she reported spending on mixed media could include television.
That total almost certainly included spending on internet ads, Rasmussen said.
“It would have to be,” he said. “It’s not like she’s absent on those digital platforms. She’s holding her own.”
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Candidates’ spending on radio advertisements was paltry. Ciattarelli put $121,772 behind radio ads, including a $1,000 ad buy on New Jersey 101.5, where Bill Spadea, who ran against Ciattarelli for the GOP nod for governor this year, has returned to airwaves following his primary loss.
Sherrill reported putting $314,058 behind radio ads.
Both candidates spent little on newspaper advertisements. Sherrill put $14,050 behind ads in Spanish-language and Jewish newspapers, while Ciattarelli made a single newspaper ad buy in the Italian Tribune, a West Orange-based weekly.
