Sherrill calls Ciattarelli ‘complicit’ in New Jersey opioid deaths

New Jersey Democratic gubernatorial nominee Rep. Mikie Sherrill on Monday doubled down on her claim that Republican opponent Jack Ciattarelli is “complicit” with opioid companies in the deaths of tens of thousands of New Jerseyans.

Sherrill spoke during a press conference on the Garden State’s opioid epidemic, accusing Ciattarelli of “looking at ways to help people get access to the drugs that were killing them” through his ties to pharmaceutical-backed training programs.

“So you heard it, Jack made millions,” she said. “The opioid companies made billions, and thousands of New Jerseyans were dying.”

When a reporter asked Sherrill if she still holds Ciattarelli personally responsible for the opioid deaths, the state lawmaker initially hedged her reply.

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“I think we’ve laid out the case that Jack is complicit with these opioid companies, in league with these opioid companies,” Sherrill said.

The reporter asks Sherrill again, “So you’re saying he killed tens of thousands of New Jersey residents?”

“I think he is right there with the people that again paid billions of dollars,” Sherrill replied. “So I think that the line is pretty clear.”

Sherrill first made her claims that Ciattarelli contributed to the opioid epidemic during last week’s gubernatorial debate.

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Ciattarelli fired back the day after the debate, pledging to file a defamation lawsuit against Sherrill.

“Mikie Sherrill cracked,” Ciattarelli campaign chief strategist, Chris Russell charged in a statement Thursday.

“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. “In a time where political violence and violent rhetoric are becoming all too prevalent, Mikie Sherrill baselessly and recklessly accusing a political opponent of mass murder in a televised debate crosses the line.”

The Sherrill campaign quickly responded.

“Jack’s reaction is to hide behind a lawsuit, not to take responsibility. What’s reckless and irresponsible is Jack Ciattarelli making millions of dollars profiting off the pain of New Jerseyans — publishing misinformation about the dangers of opioid addiction and developing an app to coach patients to ask doctors for more drugs,” Sherrill campaign communications director Sean Higgins argued in a statement.

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“As he was making millions, the Big Pharma companies made billions, and tens of thousands of New Jerseyans died. He is clearly unfit to lead and protect this state, and owes the people of New Jersey answers,” Higgins charged.

Ciattarelli, a former state lawmaker and a certified public accountant who started a medical publishing company before getting into politics and winning election as a state lawmaker, is making his third straight run for New Jersey governor. Four years ago, he grabbed national attention as he came close to upsetting Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy.

It was during his 2021 campaign that Ciattarelli’s connection to opioid manufacturers first surfaced. Ciattarelli sold his company, which published content promoting the use of opioids as a low-risk treatment for chronic pain, in 2017.

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At a post-debate news conference last week, Ciattarelli claimed the attack by Sherrill was “a desperate tactic by a desperate campaign on behalf of a desperate candidate.”

Sherrill, asked after the debate if she had proof directly linking Ciattarelli to the opioid deaths, told reporters, “I guess he’s not really expressed anything about this. I think there’s a lot we don’t know. I think he continues to not be very transparent about it.”

New Jersey and Virginia are the only two states to hold gubernatorial contests the year after a presidential election, which means the races traditionally grab outsized national attention.

This year’s ballot box showdowns are viewed as crucial early tests of Trump’s popularity and second-term agenda, and are considered key barometers ahead of next year’s midterm elections for the U.S. House and Senate.

The winner of next month’s election in New Jersey will succeed the term-limited Murphy.

While Democrats have long dominated federal and state legislative elections in blue-leaning New Jersey, Republicans are very competitive in gubernatorial contests, winning five out of the past ten elections.

In the 2025 race, political history favors both parties. 

The party that wins the White House tends to lose the New Jersey and Virginia gubernatorial elections the following year, which favors the Democrats. But Democrats in New Jersey are also trying to buck history — it’s been over six decades since a party won three straight Garden State gubernatorial elections.