❓ NJ governor's race turns bizarre as real issues take a backseat — affordability and recession are sidelined for pork roll memes and mob movie parodies.

❎ Sherrill vs. Ciattarelli devolves into a Taylor ham vs. pork roll spat, sparking social media clashes and regional pride debates.

❎ Goodfellas-themed rally posters and mafia cosplay raise eyebrows as voters ask: Is this really the leadership New Jersey needs?

😒 The 'silly season' is here—and New Jersey politics are living up to the name

Those of us who have been covering government and politics in New Jersey for any length of time call this the silly season.

It has arrived in the critical race for governor.

It's the moment when political campaigns veer off mainstream issues and focus on some nonsense non sequitur.

In this race between Democrat Mikie Sherrill and Republican Jack Ciattarelli it has come down to an age-old debate over breakfast meat and New Jersey's mafia lore.

READ MORE: Voting has begun in New Jersey's race for governor

❓ Voters care about taxes—candidates care about pork roll

Poll after poll has identified affordability, property taxes, and utility bills as the top issues among most voters, and more importantly, the most important issues among independent/unaffiliated voters.

Oh, and Moody's Analytics' Chief Economist also said New Jersey was now in recession.

Yet the candidates' social media feeds were full of pork roll and Goodfellas.

New Jerseyans have been debating pork roll-vs-Taylor ham for generations, but is this what voters deserve at a time when the very economic future of New Jersey is at stake?

🔴 Breakfast beef: Sherrill vs. Ciattarelli on Taylor Ham

Sherrill recently sat for an interview and was asked whether she calls it pork roll or Taylor ham.

“C’mon you’re from Wayne, it’s Taylor ham,” Sherrill, a North Jersey resident, said.

“Who eats pork roll?” she added. “I think that’s gross.”

Ciattarelli then clapped back at Sherrill on his X account trying to paint her as not a real New Jerseyan, "Hey Mikie. Tell me you’re not from Jersey without telling me you’re not from Jersey."

Sherrill's team fired back with clips showing Ciattarelli flip-flopping on this critical issue.

"When I’m in South Jersey it’s pork roll. Tomorrow up in Bergen County, it’ll be something else but you get it — that’s what you do when you’re running for governor," Ciattarelli said.

READ MORE: NJ governor's race has beef over Taylor Ham vs. pork roll

Really? This is what voters are getting from the two main candidates for governor?

❓ Mob movies and memes: When campaign theater goes too far

Then there was a mock movie poster making the rounds promoting a Wildwood rally for Ciattarelli.

The fake film poster mimics the poster promoting the 1990 Martin Scorsese classic Goodfellas, and urges voters to "Flip New Jersey Red."

A dark and brooding Ciattarelli is in the center flanked by party allies.

Conservative podcaster Benny Johnson posted the image on social media, proclaiming, "The Goodfellas are going to save New Jersey."

Ciattarelli has often talked about his proud Italian-American heritage, but linking into the state's mob lore is risky. It hasn't gone well for candidates in the past.

Painting yourself as a dark and brooding mobster? Wow. Jack Ciattarelli is no Tony Soprano.

❗ New Jersey deserves better than memes and meat debates

Is it any wonder that the vast majority of new voters in New Jersey are choosing not to affiliate with any political party?

New Jersey deserves better.

New Jersey voters deserve a robust debate on the issues that have made this state unaffordable for so many.

Right now, they aren't getting one.

And time is running out. For all of us.

(Previous reporting from Erin Vogt is included in this article)

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