Jack Ciattarelli, a former state legislator endorsed by President Donald Trump, is trying to become New Jersey's first Republican governor since 2018. He faces U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill, a Democrat in her fourth term in Congress who would become the state's second female governor if elected.
The outcome could gauge how the electorate is responding to Trump's policies and whether some groups of core Democratic Party voters still have faith in the party's leadership.
Ciattarelli, 63, is running for governor for the third time. He lost a Republican primary in 2017, then narrowly lost the general election in 2021 to Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, who is term-limited.
This time, he has cast the election as an opportunity for voters to oust Democrats who have controlled both the governor’s office and the state Legislature for nearly eight years. He’s touted his background as a business owner with deep roots in the state and experience as a state and local elected official. He says his close relationship with Trump will help New Jersey.
“Make no mistake. We cannot afford another four years of Phil Murphy’s failed policies,” Ciattarelli said during a rally earlier in the campaign.
Sherrill, 53, built her campaign around pushing back against Trump. She recently seized on the administration's decision to abruptly freeze funding for a multibillion-dollar project to replace the aging rail tunnels that connect New Jersey to New York City beneath the Hudson River.
Ciattarelli has focused on the escalating cost of energy in New Jersey because of the radical environmental policies of the Democrats.
He also is advocate for getting the state's schools back to a priority of "reading, writing and arithmatic."
Ciattarelli also says he would remove the LGBTQ curriculum from schools.
