Jack Ciattarelli touts Trump endorsement and slams opponent’s shade
Jack Ciattarelli, a republican candidate for governor of New Jersey, has received an endorsement from former President Donald Trump for the upcoming 2025 election.Following this endorsement,Ciattarelli has faced criticism from his primary opponent,Bill Spadea,who pointed to the failures of candidates backed by Trump in the previous election cycle,claiming Ciattarelli would also fail. However,Ciattarelli confidently stated his intention to win the primary,expressing gratitude for Trump’s support and aligning himself with Trump’s policies,especially on issues like immigration and energy independence.
Ciattarelli previously lost to the current governor, Phil murphy, by a narrow margin in the 2021 election and sees Trump’s endorsement as a potential advantage. Additionally, he has committed to eliminating sanctuary cities in New Jersey and criticized Democratic opponents, particularly Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, for ties to protests against immigration enforcement. Polling data suggests Ciattarelli had a significant lead over Spadea prior to the endorsement. New Jersey’s primary elections are scheduled for June 10, with ciattarelli aiming to highlight his campaign on national issues as the state is viewed as strategically important for Republicans in future elections.
Jack Ciattarelli touts Trump endorsement for New Jersey governor and slams opponent’s shade: ‘Can’t help himself’
New Jersey Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli pushed back against primary opponent Bill Spadea’s criticism that came after President Donald Trump endorsed Ciattarelli in the 2025 election.
Spadea, one of several candidates in New Jersey’s Republican Party primary election, argued that two candidates in New Jersey “lost big” in the 2024 election cycle despite having Trump’s backing and that Ciattarelli would continue to be “a repeat loser.”
Trump endorsed Ciattarelli on Monday. On Fox News’s The Faulkner Focus, Ciattarelli suggested that Spadea “can’t help himself” in the last four weeks before the state’s primary election.
“We’re going to win the primary, I’m honored to have the president’s endorsement,” Ciattarelli said. “He spends a great deal of time in New Jersey, but I support his agenda in terms of keeping the American soil safe, securing the border, making us more prosperous, energy independence, all those things I support, and he supports what it is I’m trying to do in New Jersey.”
Ciattarelli’s bid for the governor’s mansion comes after he lost to Gov. Phil Murphy (D-NJ) in 2021 by just over 3%. Murphy is now term-limited. The Republican candidate cited his narrow loss as the “spark that lit the fuse” to help Trump perform better than expected in New Jersey in 2024, which has contributed to the idea that the state is “in play” for Republicans come future elections.
Ciattarelli said a major 2025 campaign focus is illegal immigration, vowing that New Jersey would rid itself of sanctuary cities under his watch. He also called out Democratic gubernatorial candidate and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka for being part of the viral protest at an illegal immigrant detention center.
Prior to receiving Trump’s endorsement, Ciattarelli had a drastic advantage over his opponents in the Republican gubernatorial primary, leading Spadea by 30%, according to a Rutgers-Eagleton Institute of Politics poll. The poll, conducted from April 1 to April 10, surveyed a total of 966 likely voters and had a plus-or-minus 4.3-point margin of error.
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Both parties’ primary elections in New Jersey are set for June 10.
New Jersey is one of two states holding gubernatorial elections this year. In Virginia, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears (R-VA) and former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat, are seeking to succeed Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA), who is prohibited from serving consecutive terms under state law.
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