Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.) and Republican businessman Jack Ciattarelli came face-to-face on Wednesday evening in New Brunswick for the second and final New Jersey gubernatorial debate before Election Day.

The debate stayed largely focused on the issues dominating the race, including the economy. But the forum did see a number of tense moments. Sherrill repeatedly sought to tie Ciattarrelli to Trump, while he attacked her over a cheating scandal that took place during her time at the U.S. Naval Academy.

Here are five takeaways from Wednesday’s New Jersey gubernatorial debate:

Debate gets testy

The debate got heated at times, particularly when the moderators asked the candidates how they would go about bringing more jobs to the state amid a 5 percent unemployment rate and other factors causing uncertainty over hiring.

Sherrill for her part attacked Ciattarelli over his medical publishing firm and its role in the opioid crisis. NJ.com reported in 2021 that the Republican candidate’s firm, Galen Publishing, received funding from top pharmaceutical companies that helped finance the University of Tennessee’s pharmacy school’s continuing education materials. The former New Jersey assemblyman later sold the firm between 2008 and 2017.

NJ.com noted some of those materials appeared to minimize the risk of opioids. A spokesperson for Ciattarelli’s 2021 campaign said at the time that drug manufacturers didn’t come up with the topics included in those educational materials but from the school itself.

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