NJ Dem Gov Candidate Attack On GOP Opponent Backfires in a Big Way [WATCH]

New Jersey Democratic gubernatorial nominee Mikie Sherrill is facing renewed scrutiny over campaign donations from pharmaceutical companies connected to the nation’s opioid crisis, even as she continues to criticize her Republican opponent, Jack Ciattarelli, for his alleged ties to the same issue.

MUST READ: “New Jersey Democratic gubernatorial nominee Mikie Sherrill took tens of thousands of dollars from companies linked to the opioid crisis…” pic.twitter.com/rLkU4d2o86

— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) October 14, 2025

During a press conference Monday addressing New Jersey’s opioid epidemic, Sherrill accused Ciattarelli of “looking at ways to help people get access to the drugs that were killing them,” referencing his professional ties to pharmaceutical-funded training programs.

“So you heard it, Jack made millions,” Sherrill said.

“The opioid companies made billions, and thousands of New Jerseyans were dying.”

However, campaign finance records reviewed by Fox News Digital show that Sherrill’s own congressional campaigns accepted donations from multiple pharmaceutical companies that reached multi-billion-dollar settlements for their roles in the opioid epidemic.

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According to the records, Sherrill’s campaigns received three $1,000 contributions from the AmerisourceBergen political action committee in 2018, 2019, and 2022.

She also accepted $4,500 from Teva Pharmaceuticals’ PAC, $1,000 from Endo Pharmaceuticals’ PAC, and $17,000 from Johnson & Johnson.

In total, Fox News Digital found that at least $25,500 in donations from companies tied to the opioid crisis went to Sherrill’s campaign accounts.

AmerisourceBergen — which recently rebranded as Cencora — has been accused by several state attorneys general of fueling the opioid epidemic through the distribution of painkillers without proper oversight.

In 2021, Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson, a Democrat, accused the company of profiting from billions in opioid sales while ignoring their impact on communities.

AmerisourceBergen, along with two other major distributors, reached a $500 million settlement with the state later that year.

In 2022, AmerisourceBergen agreed to a $6.1 billion national settlement covering the majority of opioid lawsuits filed by state and local governments.

That same year, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a civil lawsuit alleging the company “for years flouted its legal obligations and prioritized profits over the well-being of Americans” by failing to report suspicious orders of controlled substances, including fentanyl and oxycodone.

The other pharmaceutical companies that contributed to Sherrill’s campaign have faced similar settlements.

Teva Pharmaceuticals agreed to pay more than $4 billion to participating states and municipalities, according to a 2022 announcement from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Johnson & Johnson settled for $5 billion that same year, and Endo Pharmaceuticals reached multiple settlements tied to opioid-related claims.

Asked about the donations, Sherrill’s campaign communications director, Sean Higgins, dismissed the story as “a desperate attack from perennial candidate Jack Ciattarelli, who refuses to answer for his role publishing misinformation about the dangers of opioids at the height of the opioid epidemic.”

Higgins added, “Mikie Sherrill has shown time and again that she will take on anyone to stand up for families and fight the opioid crisis. That’s why she helped pass landmark bipartisan legislation, signed into law by President Trump, to help fund treatment, recovery, and prevention programs in New Jersey.”

Records show that Ciattarelli received $1,500 from Mallinckrodt LLC’s PAC in 2017 and $500 from Johnson & Johnson in 2016 — both companies later reached settlements over their roles in the opioid crisis.

Ciattarelli strategist Chris Russell said in a statement to Fox News Digital, “Just like Mikie Sherrill got caught red-handed, personally profiting from investments in the same NJ utility companies she blamed for electricity rate increases, it’s no surprise to learn Mikie’s hypocrisy extends to taking thousands in campaign contributions from the very pharmaceutical companies she maligned yesterday.”

“At this point, if Mikie Sherrill’s lips are moving you can just assume she’s lying,” Russell added.

Sherrill first made her accusations against Ciattarelli during last week’s gubernatorial debate.

“With regard to everything she just said about my professional career, which provided [for] my family, it’s a lie. I’m proud of my career,” Ciattarelli said during the debate.

Ciattarelli’s prior connection to opioid manufacturers surfaced during his 2021 gubernatorial campaign, when reports revealed that he sold his company in 2017 after it published content promoting the use of opioids as a low-risk treatment for chronic pain.

Following the debate, Ciattarelli’s campaign announced plans to file a defamation lawsuit against Sherrill over her statements.

“Mikie Sherrill cracked,” Russell said.

“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 that such rhetoric “crosses the line” at a time when political violence and inflammatory accusations continue to escalate nationwide.

Jack Ciattarelli fires back, files defamation suit against Sherrill: ‘It is a reckless lie’ pic.twitter.com/LMiDtSw1yY

— Mornings with Maria (@MorningsMaria) October 15, 2025

The controversy adds a new layer to the ongoing race for New Jersey governor, with both candidates now facing questions about their ties to pharmaceutical companies at the center of the opioid epidemic.