Trump-backed ex-lawmaker wins nod for another run at NJ governor

A multiple-time Republican candidate for governor of New Jersey got another nomination on Tuesday night, The New York Times reported — with the blessing of President Donald Trump.

"With about 20 percent of the estimated vote reported, Mr. [Jack] Ciattarelli, a former state assemblyman competing for governor for the third time, beat his two main opponents, State Senator Jon M. Bramnick and Bill Spadea, a conservative radio host, by a convincing margin, according to The Associated Press," reported Tracey Tully. "Mr. Ciattarelli, 63, will now face the winner of a Democratic primary that remained too close to call early Tuesday evening."

He will compete for the vacant seat being left by two-term Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, against Rep. Mikie Sherrill, a Democratic lawmaker and former Navy pilot first elected to Congress during the 2018 Democratic wave.

Trump pushed hard for Ciattarelli, and on one occasion had to call out his rivals' attempts to pretend they had Trump's endorsement instead.

New Jersey has been a solidly Democratic state in presidential contests since 1988 and has not elected a Republican governor since the re-election of Chris Christie in 2013. Ciattarelli managed to run a close contest in 2021 amid voter dissatisfaction with the Biden administration, and Trump surprised political observers last year by coming within single digits in the state.

Ciattarelli will start as an underdog despite intense backing from the president. Republicans hope to make the race competitive.

Ciattarelli is promising an extensive, right-wing agenda, with proposals to "prohibit most 'elective abortions' after 20 weeks of pregnancy, repeal a directive that limits the types of voluntary assistance that law enforcement officers can provide to federal immigration authorities and halt a plan that requires towns to build a specific number of affordable housing units," the report noted. He additionally wants to slash the state budget, make guns easier to obtain, and merge New Jersey Transit with the agencies that manage toll roads in the state.