It's probably not a narrative that Phil Murphy wants to dominate the final days of the New Jersey governor's race.During a debate earlier this month, the Democratic nominee said he'd consider making New Jersey a "sanctuary state" to protect some undocumented immigrants from deportation -- a left-of-center stance that took some Democrats by surprise. Ever since, a complex national argument over immigration policy has suddenly become a late-in-the-game focus of the Nov. 7 election to succeed Gov. Chris Christie.The Republican nominee, Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, has latched onto the issue as she tries to hack away at Murphy's double-digit lead in the polls. She's released a controversial campaign ad suggesting Murphy would protect "deranged murderers," announced she would withhold state funds from "sanctuary" cities, and held a news conference painting Murphy as being too soft on crime. The question is: Will this actually cost Murphy on Election Day?
Conventional wisdom says no. New Jersey is a heavily Democratic and heavily diverse state with a large immigrant population.Still, with turnout expected to be low, Guadagno's camp is hopeful the issue will energize Republicans to flock to the polls. nj.
Conventional wisdom says no. New Jersey is a heavily Democratic and heavily diverse state with a large immigrant population.Still, with turnout expected to be low, Guadagno's camp is hopeful the issue will energize Republicans to flock to the polls. nj.