With the final days closing in on an especially messy New Jersey gubernatorial election, Republican candidate Jack Ciattarelli’s campaign slammed his Democratic opponent, Rep. Mikie Sherrill, for pushing a narrative that he "killed tens of thousands of people."

Sherrill accused Ciattarelli of being responsible for printing "propaganda" via the medical publishing company he founded that downplayed the dangers of opioids and of designing an app to help people access dangerous drugs. She made the claims during a gubernatorial debate on Oct. 8 and doubled down during a press conference on opioid addiction on Monday.

"Jack made millions, the opioid companies made billions, and thousands of New Jerseyans were dying," Sherrill said at the press conference.

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Chris Russell, a Ciattarelli campaign strategist, told Fox News that if Sherrill "had any decency, she would retract her slanderous comments and apologize."

"Whether it's tripling her net worth in Congress and hiding details of her stock trades or concealing the true extent of her role in the Naval Academy cheating scandal, Mikie Sherrill is a proven liar and lawbreaker whose desperation is showing," said Russell.

"Her reckless and defamatory claim that Jack 'killed tens of thousands of people, including children,' has been roundly criticized by members of the press, legal scholars and people in both parties," he added.

"The truth is that Jack Ciattarelli's medical publishing company helped to create an online tool which allowed a small group of chronic pain sufferers to educate themselves on treatment options and better advocate for their own healthcare choices when meeting with their medical professionals," explained Russell.

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In response, Sean Higgins, a campaign spokesperson for Sherrill, told Fox News Digital that "after years of hiding his role fueling the opioid epidemic, Jack Ciattarelli is finally admitting to being paid by an opioid company to create an app to coach patients to get a Hydrocodone prescription, all at a time when the opioid crisis was raging and killing New Jerseyans."

"He made millions off of New Jerseyans' pain and suffering and clearly cannot be trusted as governor," said Higgins. 

Ciattarelli has threatened to sue Sherrill for defamation if she does not stop raising these accusations.

Despite this, Sherrill was adamant about the accusations on Monday. 

She pushed back on the threat of lawsuits over the accusations, saying, "I'm dumbfounded that this perennial candidate, who has run now for three elections, saying that he's a small businessman, the minute we start to talk about that small business, he wants to shut it. He wants his lawyers to shut it down. I mean, that's ridiculous to me."

"I think we've laid out the case that Jack is … in league with these opioid companies," said Sherrill.

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Pressed to clarify whether she was asserting that Ciattarelli killed tens of thousands of New Jerseyans, Sherrill answered, "Yes. Look, I think he is right there with the people that, again, paid billions of dollars. So, I think that the line is pretty clear."

For his part, Ciattarelli shot back against Sherrill at a campaign rally on Monday, saying, "her entire campaign is based on a stack of lies about me [and] her disdain for the president."

He said that for the remainder of the campaign he will be pivoting to discussing his day one plan as governor, saying he will immediately issue an executive order banning sanctuary jurisdictions for illegal immigrants, bringing state workers back to work in-person, appointing a state attorney general "who supports both police and parents," fixing the public education system and eliminating green energy initiatives in New Jersey.

New Jersey Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mikie Sherrill is facing criticism after a businessman linked to the Chinese Communist Party made multiple donations totaling tens of thousands of dollars to her campaign. 

Pin Ni, the founder of Wanxiang America Corporation, donated $60,000 to the One Giant Leap super PAC backing Sherrill’s campaign in the form of two checks, in addition to giving the $5,800 individual max donation directly to Sherrill’s campaign this summer, according to records reviewed by Fox News Digital.

Political campaigns in the United States are only permitted to accept money from American citizens or permanent legal residents and, in addition to Pin’s status being unclear, questions have been raised about the ethics of accepting money from individuals linked to the Chinese Communist Party. 

"The donor, Pin Ni, has an extensive history of assisting the CCP’s political warfare and influence operations upon the U.S., and of generally aligning with and carrying our party commands," Michael Lucci, Founder and CEO of State Armor, told New York Post, adding that taking money from Ni is "disqualifying."

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Wanxiang Group posthumously awarded the company’s founder, Lu Guanqiu, the title of "National Outstanding Communist Party Member" in a 2021 press release and praised Guanqiu for his "pursuit of communism as a lifelong ideal and practice." The press release also said Guanqiu, the late father-in-law of Pin Ni, "has always listened to the [Chinese Communist] Party and followed the Party," a Fox News Digital review found earlier this year. 

The press release continued by quoting Chinese President Xi Jinping's praise of Guanqiu, saying he was "in line with the Party Central Committee. He always actively does what our Party committees and governments at all levels advocate."

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The founder's bio on the Wanxiang website says he was elected as the 13th and 14th Representatives of the CPPCC, and a delegate to the 9th, 10th, and 11th Chinese National People's Congress, top levels of the CCP's hierarchy. 

Fox News Digital reached out to the Sherrill campaign inquiring whether the money would be returned. 

Fox News Digital also reached out to Pin Ni but did not immediately receive a response.

Sherrill isn't the only Democrat running for governor in November to be faced with questions about donations from Pin Ni.

Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger took $50,000 from the CCP-tied businessman in two $25,000 installments in April and May, Fox News Digital previously reported. 

The donations sparked criticism from Spanberger's Republican opponent, Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears.

"Taking $50,000 from someone with clear Chinese Communist Party ties tells us all we need to know," her campaign spokesperson said at the time. "You can’t claim to stand up to foreign threats while pocketing money from someone celebrated by the CCP."

A Spanberger campaign spokesperson said, "Virginians know that Abigail Spanberger has a demonstrated record of standing up for America’s national security, delivering results for Virginia families across party lines, and never backing down from keeping the American people safe."

"Her campaign will remain focused on what Virginians care about most, keeping our communities safe, driving down costs, protecting Virginia jobs, and making sure Virginia’s public schools are the very best in America," the spokesperson added.

Fox News Digital’s Amanda Macias contributed to this report