Republican gubernatorial nominee Kim Guadagno is under fire for a campaign ad attacking Democrat Phil Murphy for saying he might make New Jersey a sanctuary state for undocumented immigrants.
The ad says Murphy would protect unauthorized immigrants including deranged murderers.
Louis DiPaolo with the New Jersey Working Families Alliance says that mischaracterizes what Murphy was saying and calls the ad shameful.
"It's not fair for our immigrant communities and other people who have been persecuted and oppressed that they're being lumped together and trying to be painted as violent criminals."
Phyllis Salowe Kaye, the executive director of New Jersey Citizen Action, says the ad is offensive.
"The way she characterized it and the visuals that she put in it, it's an attack on people of color, it's an attack on people who were not born in this country. It's just a vile disgusting commercial."
Guadagno campaign spokesman Ricky Diaz disputes allegations that the ad is racist.
"That's not true at all. We're talking about protecting violent criminals in sanctuary cities, which is what Phil Murphy's sanctuary state policy would do for New Jersey. And we stand by the ad because as former sheriff, Kim Guadagno is never going to play politics with public safety."
Diaz says the campaign won't pull the ad.