HOLMDEL, New Jersey — Former Republican state Rep. Jack Ciattarelli won the New Jersey Republican primary for the governor’s race Tuesday evening.
Ciattarelli was the clear front-runner in the race, and his popularity only increased after he received President Donald Trump’s “complete and total endorsement.” The Associated Press called the race at 8:17 p.m., shortly after the polls closed. With about two-thirds of the ballots counted, Ciattarelli received 67% of the vote, over radio host Bill Spadea at 22% and state Sen. Jon Bramnick at 6%.
At Bell Works, a business hub in Holmdel, Ciattarelli celebrated his resounding win with a crowd of supporters, some donning red shirts, MAGA hats, and signs reading “Mikie made Millions,” in a dig at his November opponent.
Ciattarelli thanked Trump for his endorsement while also making a broad appeal to welcome New Jersey voters to the Republican Party.
“Along the way, we also made a strong statement: What our New Jersey Republican program stands for,” Ciattarelli said at his campaign party. “A party open to anyone and everyone who’s going to work hard to play by the rules, a party of Jersey values and common sense policies.”
This is Ciattarelli’s third run for governor. He came in second in the Republican gubernatorial primary in 2017. However, by 2021, he won the GOP nomination and inched within 3 points of Gov. Phil Murphy (D-NJ) for the general election. New Jersey has been trending more favorable for Republicans, with Trump coming within 5 points of winning the historically blue state in the 2024 election. State Republicans are expressing confidence in a Ciattarelli win going into November.
At the federal level, New Jersey has not elected a Republican for president or to the Senate in decades, though at the state level, they have had better luck. Former two-term Gov. Chris Christie was the last Republican to govern the state from 2010 to 2018.
Ciattarelli will face Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), who beat a crowded field of Democrats.
Trump, a part-time resident of the state, will likely be a focal point of the race moving forward. Democrats in the primary framed themselves as being the front line pushing back against Trump.
NEW JERSEY REPUBLICANS CONFIDENT ABOUT GUBERNATORIAL WIN AS ODDS SHIFT
Ciattarelli was a Trump critic but has embraced the president’s agenda in his 2025 campaign. Should he be elected governor, Ciattarelli has promised not to enter legal battles with the Trump administration, to remove New Jersey’s status as a sanctuary state, and to create a state program similar to the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency.
“We can’t play games when it comes to Elections, and New Jersey is a very important State that we must WIN. The whole World is watching. Vote for Jack Ciattarelli to, MAKE NEW JERSEY GREAT AGAIN!” Trump said Saturday on Truth Social.
