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Two Democrats in the 2025 race to replace term-limited New Jersey Gov. Philip Murphy failed to vote on the Laken-Reilly Act in Congress this week, drawing criticism from gubernatorial candidates of both parties.
The House Clerk’s Office said Essex Rep. Mikie Sherrill and Bergen County Rep. Josh Gottheimer would allow city and state authorities to detain undocumented immigrants convicted of theft-related crimes. He went on record saying he would “not vote” on the landmark bill that would require it.
The bill takes its name from a young woman who was killed by an illegal immigrant in Georgia who had previously been arrested and released on lesser charges.
“This is despicable,” Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop exclaimed in an X post.
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Rep. Mikie Sherrill and Josh Gottheimer (Getty)
“We lose elections when we don’t have core beliefs…when we can’t explain why we have the views we have and why we believe them. Hiding is not the answer to winning elections.” the Democratic Party said.
“Mikie and Josh are the same again. If you don’t have the courage to vote for a bill, what good is the courage to lead as governor?” Fulop added.
Meanwhile, former Republican Rep. Jack Ciattarelli slammed both lawmakers from the right.
“shame on you [Josh and Mikie] For daring to avoid voting on the Laken Riley Act today,” Ciatarelli said.
In X, Ciattarelli said Riley “fought to his last breath against brutal illegal immigrants, but Josh and Mikey didn’t have the courage to stand up to their far-left wing.”
Ciattarelli played against Murphy in 2021 and nearly beat Murphy by Garden State standards, losing by less than three points. President-elect Trump lost the state by only 4 points in November, and Republicans signaled optimism that they would turn Trenton into a red light this fall.
Gottheimer voted “yes” the last time the bill was up for a vote, and a spokesperson told the Philadelphia Inquirer that if he had voted, he would have supported the bill this week. spoke.
New Jersey’s three Republican senators, Christopher Smith, Jeff Van Drew, and Tom Keene Jr., all voted in favor of the Laken-Riley bill.
Democratic Reps. Nellie Paugh, Frank Pallone, Herbert Conaway, LaMonica McIver, Donald Norcross and Rob Menendez Jr. all voted against the bill.
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Republican Rep. Dawn Fantasia, who is not running for governor, slammed the pair Wednesday with the following quip:
“The road to Drumthwacket is paved with flat squirrels of indecision,” she said, referring to the historic governor’s mansion near Princeton.
State Sen. John Bramnick, a Republican gubernatorial candidate, told Fox News Digital on Thursday that a lawmaker’s first responsibility is to their constituents, not their next campaign.
Asked about Gottheimer and Sherrill’s non-voting, Bramnick said, “I think they need to put their campaigning second to their responsibilities.”
“The key issue is that if you’re running for office, campaigning has to be secondary to voting,” he added, adding that the system “seems to do more.” I did. [someone] The more you campaign, the fewer votes you get. ”
Bramnick, who is also a Plainfield attorney, said he could not speculate on what the two Democrats were thinking about the vote, but added that immigration is a hot-button issue and often difficult to address.
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State Sen. John Bramnick recently spoke out about drone sightings in New Jersey. (Bobby Bank/Getty Images | Doug Hood/Asbury Park Press)
The Laken Riley Act received 48 “yes” points from Democrats, and Bramnick said immigration is a bipartisan issue.
Asked how he would approach President-elect Trump and border czar-designate Tom Homan if elected governor, he said, “I will follow the law.”
“Unfortunately, Congress is not doing anything. [create] “It’s about providing a path to citizenship for those who have the opportunity to stay here,” he said, referring to people who have lived in the United States for many years as law-abiding members of their communities.
“If America doesn’t like the law, change the law, but you shouldn’t change the law based on how states feel about this issue.”
Sherrill and Gottheimer did not immediately respond to inquiries sent through the campaign.
Another Democrat in the race, Ras Baraka, mayor of Newark, the state’s largest city, also did not respond.
But Baraka also suggested separately that he would have voted against the Laken-Reilly Act if he were in Congress.
Charles Creitz is a reporter for Fox News Digital.
He joined Fox News in 2013 as a writer and production assistant.
Charles covers media, politics and culture for Fox News Digital.
Charles is a Pennsylvania native and graduate of Temple University with a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism. Story tips can be sent to charles.creitz@fox.com.
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