
Trump-backed Jack Ciattarelli wins GOP NJ Governor primary, CNN projects
CNN
Jack Ciattarelli will win the Republican gubernatorial primary in New Jersey, according to a projection from the CNN Decision Desk. His victory was propelled by President Donald Trump’s endorsement and sets him up for another chance at leading the Garden State after losing narrowly four years ago.
Jack Ciattarelli will win the Republican gubernatorial primary in New Jersey, according to a projection from the CNN Decision Desk. His victory was propelled by President Donald Trump’s endorsement and sets him up for another chance at leading the Garden State after losing narrowly four years ago. Ciattarelli, a former state representative, beat a field of Republican contenders including former radio host Bill Spadea and state Sen. Jon Bramnick. While New Jersey shifted toward Trump last November, the state has a track record in recent decades of picking candidates from the party that lost the White House the year before. One exception is Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy’s narrow reelection victory against Ciattarelli in 2021 by less than 4 points.Whether Ciattarelli can be successful in November will likely depend on his ability to turn out voters loyal to Trump while also expanding support with people who have not embraced the president and his agenda. “He endorsed me because of the coattails – he endorsed me because I’m the only person who can beat the Democrats in November,” Ciattarelli said of Trump’s support at the Republicans’ final debate. Support for Trump was a point of contention in advertisements and during feisty debates. Ciattarelli and Spadea repeatedly sparred over their allegiance to the president, seizing on past criticisms they had each leveled at Trump at various points in their long record of public commentary. “Bill Spadea attacks Donald Trump,” intoned one ad from Ciattarelli, seizing on soundbites of Spadea suggesting Trump shouldn’t run in 2024. “Loyalty matters to President Trump,” Spadea said in one of his ads, replaying comments from Ciattarelli criticizing Trump amid his rise during the 2016 campaign.

As lawmakers demand answers over reports that the US military carried out a follow-up strike that killed survivors during an attacked on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean, a career Navy SEAL who has spent most of his 30 years of military experience in special operations will be responsible for providing them.












