well in this final stretch of the primary race we're taking a look at the issues driving voters to the polls and perhaps the most urgent issue of the day and of this entire race has been affordability senior correspondent Brenda Flanigan takes a look at how each party and each candidate has made affordability central to their campaign in Jerseyy's primary election what's voters primary concern polls show it's affordability high taxes and rising costs of everything from housing to health care to groceries taxpayers feel the squeeze and Trump administration funding cuts will only sharpen that pain new Jersey candidates for governor on both sides of the aisle face tough budget mathematics says FDU pollster Dan Casino so the governorship in this case is almost a poison chalice right there's no good solution whoever winds up being governor is going to be faced with cutting a bunch of services and/or raising taxes and it's not going to be popular it's not going to be happy for the five Republican candidates the campaign playbooks a political minefield all promised to raise revenue by cutting waste and pork moderate John Bramnik talk show host Bill Spadia and perceived frontr runner Jack Chidarelli would adjust income tax brackets for inflation and that would help lower income folks republicans would also lower corporate taxes and make Jersey more businessfriendly show me a state that doesn't have a Department of Commerce and I'll show you a state that's perceived as not being pro business and so under Governor Chedarelli we will reestablish the Department of Commerce this is Chidarelli's third run for governor and he's won the president's coveted endorsement but Spadia argues only he would truly take MAGA's budget acts to New Jersey spending if we're going to have any new departments in government there's only one we need NJ Doge we ought to be on the phone with Elon Musk and say "Whatever you're doing federally right now we need to bring that to Hold on folks folks this is not the form for the booming."

Well Elon Musk not going to be my cabinet i can tell you that right now and and and let and let me tell you why i am not going to bring national politics into Jersey both Bramnik and Chidarelli support the stayj property tax relief program for seniors but Spadia calls it a quote gimmick democrats all support stay 2 with some modifications but they also need to chart a fiscal course that's not Phil Murphy 3.0 voters do want change says writers Micah Rasmusen nobody's going to get elected saying that they want to raise your taxes um although I think the closest you'll hear to that Brenda is um when Baraka or when Philip say we need to be getting more out of our wealthiest residents we are not taxing them enough both progressives Newark Mayor Raz Baraka and Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulip would restructure income tax brackets saving money for low-end middle inome folks and creating a new top levy of up to 14% for those making 10 million or more you can't hit him and haul you can't play left or right you can't hide in the middle you have to clearly say that we have to make millionaires pay their fair share i'll fight Donald Trump's Medicaid cuts by using the state surplus and I'll raise the minimum wage to $18 an hour and give small businesses tax credits to pay for it both also prioritize aggressive affordable housing plans meanwhile moderate Congresswoman Mikey Cheryl who's in the lead according to polls would boost loans and credits for home buyers and reap savings by consolidating services like firefighting and animal control she's also focused on family tax credits i'll expand the state's child tax credit because when we did that at the federal level it cut child poverty in half and lowered the cost of living for so many parents she has been running as the front runner she doesn't need to make waves she figures look if I'm the front runner the worst thing I can do is get really really specific because then people will attack my specificity amongst more conservative Democrats Steve Sweeny's vowed no tax increases during his term congressman Josh Godheimer's promised to claw back federal funding cuts and slash tax levies by reducing government waste you're going to see tax cuts you're going to see family property taxes down you're going to see income taxes down it's great to have another Republican candidate on in Okay all right again specifics are hard to come by we're in this era where nobody wants to admit that they're cutting something or not cutting something they want to say "No this is a question of waste this is a question of fraud this is a question of who's eligible."

Right he says voting which is normally light for primaries will determine whose message resonated more for NJ Spotlight News I'm Brenda Flanigan [Music]