Meanwhile, the candidates for lieutenant governor took center stage Monday night in their only scheduled debate of the campaign.

It was a mostly polite but pointed discussion on taxes, immigration, and the future of New Jersey.

As senior correspondent Joanna Gagis reports, the hour-long event, hosted by PIX11 News, gave voters a clearer look at the Democratic and Republican running mates and what they'd bring to the table.

Two relative unknowns in the eyes of most New Jersey voters, the candidates for Lieutenant Governor made their case last night for why they're qualified to be second in command.

The Republican candidate, James Gannon, is the Morris County Sheriff running with former State Assemblyman Jack Cittarelli.

I've been involved in law enforcement my whole life, so I've been from the local cop level to the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force.

I was in corporate America, obviously at Novartis, the drug company.

So I've been in leadership roles for much of my life.

The Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor is Dale Caldwell, son of Civil Rights Leader Reverend Gilbert Caldwell Jr., who marched with Dr.

Martin Luther King.

He's running with Congresswoman Mikey Sherrill.

I'm president of Centenary University, but I'm also pastor of Covenant United Methodist Church in Plainfield, Centenary is in Hackettstown.

I spent two decades on the New Brunswick Board of Education and was the president of the largest special needs school district, the Educational Services Commission of New Jersey.

I spent 15 years at Deloitte Consulting and at Scholastic, as well as the Deputy Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs.

The candidates sounded off on several key issues that are top of mind for voters, from electricity costs to immigration policy, transportation issues to taxes, asked whether property taxes would decrease under their leadership.

Yes, they will.

That is our goal.

That is our goal and we're looking to do everything we can.

Unfortunately, the assault from the administration in Washington, the Trump administration, adding five billion dollars to us makes that even harder.

And so we're trying to do that in a very, very difficult environment.

Throughout the campaign, Cittarelli has called the Anchor property tax rebate program a gimmick.

Gannon, it seems, broke from that position when asked whether it's something their administration would keep.

Yes, it is.

I think it is the anchor program.

The only thing we have to be careful of is this, okay?

You can't put one dollar in this pocket and take five dollars out of this pocket.

But yes, I think that we have to stick with that.

People need those monies to get on their feet, to stay on their feet.

We have to do that.

Gannon reiterated Cittarelli's promise to undo the immigrant trust directive that limits New Jersey law enforcement's cooperation with federal immigration officers, but he also said he supports a pathway to citizenship.

"If there's no crime and they've been here and they've had no problems and things like that, I'd have no problem giving them some type of pathway so they could stay."

Caldwell didn't give a clear answer on whether or not a Sherrill administration would keep the Immigrant Trust Directive.

"We would make sure the people are safe.

We're going to make sure that the laws are followed, the Constitution is followed, the laws of New Jersey.

We are going to -- well, Mikey's going to hire an attorney general that's very strong that may have something even stronger than that.

Both candidates said their administrations would consider leaving the PJM energy grid to lower rising electricity costs.

As for how they'd make housing more affordable, Gannon said a Cittarelli administration would alter the Mount Laurel housing decision, which is a New Jersey Supreme Court ruling that requires municipalities to build their "fair share" of affordable housing, but he didn't offer specifics on how they'd undo that decision.

Get together with people on all sides of the issue and come to some type of agreement of what we can do for the success of people.

Caldwell said they'd look to commercialize some NJ Transit operations to right-size the agency.

Gannon went so far as to say they'd stop NJ Transit's annual 3% fare hikes without saying how they'd close the financial gap.

But watching this debate, you wouldn't know that tension at the top of the ticket is reaching a heightened pitch.

These two remained respectful, even cordial, throughout the debate.

One of the things I really love about the sheriff is he says it's not about Democrat or Republican, it's real about us coming together.

First of all, God bless your father and God bless Dr.

Martin Luther King.

Tremendous men.

You can expect a very different tone when Cheryl and Chittarelli debate again on Friday.

For NJ Spotlight News, I'm Joanna Gagas.

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