In the waning days of New Jersey’s contested primary for governor, Democratic and Republican candidates are offering a glimpse of where the general election campaign could go. They’re grappling over the package of Trump tax breaks and program cuts recently passed by the House but characterizing it in dramatically different ways. Each side is using the measure as a cudgel against the other. Depending on which party’s candidates are speaking, Trump is either a tax-cutting hero who is cleaning up the nation’s broken immigration system and right-sizing the federal government, or a rogue president recklessly rounding up U.S. citizens, driving up federal debt and slashing benefits for older and sicker Americans without regard for the law or who gets hurt. That stark contrast in the two respective primaries suggests New Jersey voters will have clear decisions to make in the November general election — and that their choices, even in a state long dominated by Democrats, could signal how President Donald Trump’s aggressive second term is playing nationwide. The wrangling in New Jersey comes before the June 10 primary in one of just two governors’ contests this year. The other is in Virginia. Both are being looked at for signs of how Democrats will answer Trump’s 2024 victory and his agenda and, for Republicans, as a fresh test of the president’s popularity. The legislation Republicans call a “big, beautiful bill” is front and center in the argument. In sparring over social media, Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill opposed the bill, while Republican Jack Ciattarelli talked up the benefits of its tax cuts. The two are widely seen as leading contenders for their parties’ nominations. Sherrill said the bill would drive up costs and attempted to link Ciattarelli, a former state legislator, to health care and food assistance cuts. “You are a yes-man for the MAGA agenda,” she wrote. Ciattarelli jabbed Sherrill over opposing what would amount to tax cuts for many residents. The tax cuts in the bill working its way through Congress are needed in New Jersey, he wrote, “thanks to Democrats making NJ the highest taxed state in America.” Turning a page — but which one? The sniping could persist to the general election, experts say. Democrats are eager to blame the president and his party for unpopular cuts to social safety net programs and the GOP is looking to pin economic difficulties on Democrats, who’ve been in charge of state government for eight years. Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy is term-limited after winning twice. In a climate where voters can be restless for change, some say it’s a matter of what they will decide to be against. “The real question will be do they hate Phil Murphy more or Donald Trump more?” said Julie Roginsky, a longtime Democratic campaign strategist, “Are they looking to turn the page on Phil Murphy or Donald Trump?” Along with Sherrill, Rep. Josh Gottheimer, Mayors Ras Baraka of Newark and Steven Fulop of Jersey City, former Senate President Steve Sweeney and teacher’s union executive Sean Spiller are locked in what appears to be a competitive contest for the Democratic nomination. Sherill has the backing of several influential county parties. But the contest is unfolding in a new era, after the downfall of the county party line, a unique-to-New Jersey practice in which local parties were able […]