Republicans think voters hate COVID restrictions. This Democratic governor disagrees.

But with the Delta variant lingering, it’s Murphy who’s gone on a Covid-19 offensive, attacking Ciattarelli’s laissez faire positions on face coverings in schools and vaccine freedom as out-of-step with Garden State voters.

As New Jersey’s gubernatorial race enters its final month, Murphy is relying on a similar playbook to the one that helped California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom fend off a recall challenge last month. The governor, the only state executive up for reelection this year, is taking direct shots at opponents of economic lockdowns and Covid-19 restrictions. Democrat Terry McAuliffe is doing much the same as he tries to reclaim the governorship in Virginia.

A new ad released by the Murphy campaign holds Ciattarelli’s claim this summer that the virus poses no risk to children alongside similar comments made by then-President Donald Trump, who lost New Jersey by more than 15 points last year. The 30-second spot echoes a series of advertisements released by California Democrats in the final weeks of the recall in both style and substance: black and red text, urgent phrasing and the looming presence of an unpopular former president.