Trump-endorsed businessman and former New Jersey Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli prevailed in the GOP primary for governor Tuesday, setting the stage for a MAGA Republican to potentially helm the Garden State.
Ciattarelli, 63, of Somerville came out on top against a field of four Republican opponents after leading by double-digits for much of the run-up to the primary.
He had won 67.4% of the vote when the Associated Press called the race in his favor at 8:17 p.m. ET.
“We’re not done. We are not done,” Ciattarelli said in his victory speech.
“Tonight we took the next step in achieving our mission with a clear and convincing primary victory,” he added, emphasizing that he won all 21 counties in the state.
Ciattarelli went on to address Independents and Democrats who “feel abandoned, alienated and ignored by extreme and out of touch ultra liberal Democratic party in Trenton and Washington DC, a Democratic Party more focused on pronouns than property taxes, a Democratic party that would rather coddle criminals than support our police.”
“A Democratic Party that rewards illegal immigrants with handouts.”
“A Democratic Party that includes people like Phil Murphy who once told us if taxes are an issue it’s the property, not the state. Who once told us he wanted New Jersey to be the California of the East Coast,” he said to boos from the crowd.
“Who says that? You see California lately?”
Ciattarelli’s closest opponent during the race had been former conservative talk radio host Bill Spadea — who courted and failed to obtain the president’s endorsement.
Spadea received 20.9% support, good for second place, when the race was called.
Moderate state Sen. Jon Bramnick, whose district includes upscale towns such as Bernardsville and Chatham, also was a contender and garnered about 7% of the vote.
Ciattarelli ran on a platform consisting chiefly of kitchen-table issues, such as capping property taxes, reducing state spending and slashing income taxes for overburdened NJ residents.
Despite his past as a Trump critic — including calling the president a “charlatan” and “not fit” to be commander-in-chief in 2015 — Ciattarelli has come around to backing much of his agenda.
In turn, the president enthusiastically embraced Ciattarelli as a “terrific, America-first candidate” who is “best positioned to stand tall against the radical left Democrats.”
“New Jersey is ready to pop out of that blue horror show and really get in there and vote for somebody that’s going to make things happen,” Trump said during a June 2 tele-rally for Ciattarelli.
In line with the Trump administration’s stance on illegal immigration, Ciattarelli pledged to ban municipalities statewide from declaring themselves sanctuary cities, under threat of having aid from Trenton withheld if they fail to comply.
Evelyn Jinenez Kiernan, 55, told The Post at a polling site in Belleville that she voted for Ciattarelli and touted his position on illegal immigration.
“He’s the only one who – and I’m sorry to say this – has the balls to face somebody and say no, this is not going to happen in my state,” Kiernan said. “We’re trying to get New Jersey out of being a sanctuary state.”
As a Hispanic Puerto Rican who had immigrant parents who came here from Puerto Rico, I do believe in everyone having the American dream,” the registered Republican continued. “I don’t care who you are or where you’re from, but do it legally. Don’t think that you’re gonna come on our tax dollars and get free phone and free benefits when you’re insulting the previous immigrants that came to this country and had to learn English and had to get an education like my parents did.”
“Look at that crime. Look what’s going on in this country,” Kiernan lamented.
“People are coming in expecting to be gifted for committing the crime of crossing the border. We want someone who’s going to come in here with empowerment and take care of New Jersey, bring New Jersey to what it once was, the hard working Americans that came to this country because they wanted to be Americans.”
Ciattarelli also said he would explore creating a Garden State Transportation Authority, a single governing body into which New Jersey Transit, the Turnpike Authority and the South Jersey Transportation Authority would be folded.
Ciattarelli ran against outgoing Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy in 2017 and 2021, coming within just 3 points of defeating him in his second attempt.
As results rolled in, Ciattarelli’s campaign strategist, Chris Russell, told reporters that the former assemblyman’s team was “very confident” they would prevail.
“I’d be very surprised if it was close, but I don’t think it will be,” he said of tonight’s results.
Ciattarelli’s packed victory party was held in the ballroom at Bell Works in Holmdel.
The state’s gubernatorial election is scheduled for Nov. 4.
The GOP candidate will square off against Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), who defeated a crowded field of candidates in the Democratic primary Tuesday night.
Ciattarelli likened Sherill to Murphy in his post-win remarks, arguing that she “rubber stamped and enabled every extremist and costworthy idea Phil Murphy has put forward.”
“Make no mistake: Mikie Sherrill is Phil Murphy 2.0. Make no mistake, a vote for Mikie Sherill is a vote for four more years of Phil Murphy, four more years of the highest taxes…It’s time for a change,” the GOP nominee continued.
Ciattarelli ripped into his rival for not having any plans and only talking about Trump.
“If this campaign was a drinking game and you took a shot, every time Mikie Sherrill says Trump, you’re going to be drunk off your a– every day between now and November 4th,” he said. “You’re going to be drunk off your a– every day. Drunk off your a– every day between now and November 4th.”
“Every time you hear her say Trump I want you to know what it really means. It really means that Mikie doesn’t have a plan to fix New Jersey. It means she supports Phil Murphy’s failed policies and it means she can’t run on her own record.”
Russell, Ciattarelli’s strategist, indicated that the general election will be a “tough fight.”
Republicans have not won a statewide election in New Jersey since former GOP Gov. Chris Christie’s 2013 victory.
The Garden State, however, appears to be tilting rightward.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris’s margin of victory over Trump in the 2024 presidential election was 5.9%, well below former President Joe Biden’s 16-percentage-point win in 2020.
There are roughly 800,000 more registered Democrats in New Jersey than Republicans, though independents have significant sway in state politics.
Additional reporting by Victor Nava.
