LAWRENCE TOWNSHIP -- The quiet campaign for New Jersey governor erupted Friday.

Democratic nominee Phil Murphy publicly disagreed with his running mate for voting against a popular bill that banned the state from investing in businesses that boycott Israeli goods and services.

Hours later, Murphy's Republican opponent, Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, called on the Democrat to drop the lieutenant governor pick, state Assemblywoman Sheila Oliver, from his ticket.

That prompted Murphy's campaign to return fire against Guadagno's running mate, suggesting the Republican's campaign has been "insensitive" to the Jewish community.

Oliver, D-Essex, was one of only three members of the Assembly, the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature, to vote against the measure last year. Gov. Chris Christie signed it into law last August.

Murphy, a former U.S. ambassador to Germany and ex-Goldman Sachs banking executive, was asked by a reporter during an unrelated campaign event Friday if he agrees with Oliver's position on the legislation.

"That's a bill I would have signed if I were governor," Murphy responded. "I would have voted on it if I were in the Assembly. And most importantly, I would have enforced it."

"I'm the former United States ambassador to Germany, and I have deep, deep relations not just with the Jewish community there and in New Jersey, but with the state of Israel," added Murphy, who said he has traveled to Israel five times over the last three years. "I am all in with having the back of Israel."

Such states as Illinois, New York, and Florida have similar restrictions as the New Jersey bill that Oliver opposed. The measures are an attempt to push back on the Palestinian-led "Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions" -- or BDS -- movement.

Oliver did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment Friday night.

Guadagno's campaign quickly seized on the issue, releasing a statement calling on Murphy to part ways with Oliver for "for her anti-Israel views."

"Boycotting Israel, one of New Jersey's closest cultural and economic partners, is unacceptable and those views do not belong in the Statehouse or even on a major-party ticket," Ricky Diaz, a spokesman for Guadagno's campaign, said in a statement released Friday evening.

Daniel Bryan, a spokesman for Murphy's campaign, fired back.

"These are desperate claims from a desperate candidate," Bryan said. "Both Phil and Sheila are committed to fully enforcing New Jersey's anti-BDS law, something the Christie-Guadagno administration is actively ignoring."

"Kim Guadagno knowingly chose a running mate under federal investigation for civil rights violations against a Jewish community in Woodcliff Lake, calling the joint investigation by the U.S. attorney and the Department of Justice 'routine,'" Bryan added. "Her campaign has defined insensitivity to the Jewish community."

Guadagno's running mate, Woodcliff Lake Mayor Carlos Rendo, has faced scrutiny because the town he runs is currently under federal investigation for allegedly discriminating against an Orthodox Jewish organization, according to a report by Politico New Jersey. The organization, Valley Chabad, is also suing Rendo and the town.

Guadagno defended Rendo last month, calling the investigation "routine" and one that was "probably generated by a little political season," according to a report by Observer New Jersey.

Under the new law, the New Jersey Division of Investments found it had no noncompliant investments. However, a Jewish advocacy group this week asked the State Investment Council to reconsider its stake in a Danish bank it says refuses to do business with two Israeli defense companies.

New Jersey has one of the largest Jewish populations in the U.S. and is said to trade more than $1.3 billion in goods each year with Israel.

The latest poll shows Murphy leading Guadagno by 14 percentage points in the race to succeed Christie, a Republican who is prohibited by law from seeking a third consecutive term.

Five third-party or independent candidates are also running in the Nov. 7 election.

Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.

Samantha Marcus may be reached at smarcus@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @samanthamarcus. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.