Ciattarelli defines his third governor’s campaign: affordability, safety and Trump

Jack Ciattarelli, in his third bid for governor, says he is running to “make New Jersey affordable again” in order to enhance the possibility of achieving the American dream – just as his immigrant grandparents did. 

His first race, in 2017, ended in a Republican primary loss. In the 2021 general election he came within 3 percentage points of beating incumbent GovernorPhil Murphy, a Democrat. Ciattarelli now is facing Democratic U.S. Representative Mikie Sherrill, a former federal prosecutor and Navy pilot.

New Jersey and Virginia are the only states with governors races this year, and both Nov. 4 contests are being watched nationally as a bellwether for the 2026 national midterm elections. 

Ciattarelli says he supports President Donald Trump “wholeheartedly,” and the president gave him his “complete and total endorsement.”

Trump in New Jersey’s 2024 presidential race lost by a narrower-than-expected 6 percentage points, suggesting a “closer statewide environment than what we are used to,” said Micah Rasmussen, director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University in Lawrence.

Through Oct. 6, Ciattarelli’s campaign had spent $12.5 million and had $4 million on hand, according to the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission. By comparison, his 2021 campaign had spent $8.9 million and had $1.2 million on hand during the same reporting period.

Independent groups, including Restore New Jersey, Change NJ Inc. and American Principles Project Big Family NJ PAC have spent $21.5 million supporting his campaign, the data show. 

‘Jersey Guy’

Education, public safety, overdevelopment and affordability are in crisis, Ciattarelli says. He plans to reduce taxes and state spending and shift schools’ focus back to “critical life skills and vocational training,” he said at the first of two debates, at Rider on Sept. 22.

Ciattarelli, whose website calls him “a lifelong Jersey guy,” is the grandson of Italian immigrants. They, and his parents, became small-business owners. Though Chris Christie, the most recent Republican New Jersey governor, made a run for president after his two terms, Ciattarelli says he has no interest in following that path.

“When my four or eight years are over, you’ll find me at the beach in Surf City,” Ciattarelli said at the first debate.

In addition to Trump, he has the endorsement of former Governor Thomas Kean. He also has backing from the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 825, Bricklayers and Allied Craftsworkers Local 4 & 5 and the New Jersey Outdoors Alliance.

His running mate for lieutenant governor is Morris County Sheriff Jim Gannon, who helped start programs to combat addiction and prevent school violence. By state constitution, the lieutenant also must have a Cabinet-level position or head an administrative agency.

Ciattarelli’s campaign didn’t respond to requests for an interview.

Affordability 

Ciattarell says the state needs a “hands-on CEO governor,” and he plans to cut state spending by 30%, according to his website. 

He would combat New Jersey’s high cost of living by reducing taxes. He would cap property taxes for first-time homebuyers, and freeze such bills for people who are 70 and older. He would make all retirement income tax-free. He also pledges to reduce the state’s corporate business tax – the highest in the nation – by 1% annually over five years.

The reductions would mean the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in state revenue.

“I will be very responsible and surgically reduce the size and cost of our state government to afford a tax cut for individuals and businesses,” Ciattarelli said at the first debate.

He hopes to draw young college graduates to the state by refunding the difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition for those who work for at least three years in New Jersey. Ciattarelli says he would make the first two years of income tax-free after high school and college. 

On affordable housing, Ciattarelli says he would direct development to cities with infrastructure, mass transit and jobs, rather than continue to build in rural and suburban areas. Too much building on open land, he says, has contributed to catastrophic flooding and other environmental troubles in New Jersey.

Immigration and public safety

Ciattarelli would repeal the state’s immigrant sanctuary policy, as it “only encourages illegal immigration and restricts local police,” he said at the second debate, at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center on Oct. 8. 

People who are “here illegally” and have criminal records must be deported, he said. So must any immigrants who are “scamming government assistance.” 

“Anyone else should be put on a pathway to recognition with a government-issued ID so people aren’t in the shadows or working under false Social Security numbers,” he said. Sherrill responded by saying that a “‘path to recognition’ isn’t a real status.” 

Ciattarelli says he would scrap bail reform, which ended the requirement that most alleged offenders pledge money to stay out of jail pending trial or other legal action.

“Local police say arrest-and-release policies undermine safety,” Ciattarelli said. 

He was endorsed by the New Jersey Fraternal Order of Police, one of the state’s largest law-enforcement unions. 

“They know, as does all law enforcement, that I will have their back. My attorney general will have their back and our 21 county prosecutors will have their back,” Ciattarelli said in a Facebook video. “They’re tired of being demonized by Democrats. They’re tired about this unbelievable rationale that we have more sympathy for the criminal than we do for the victim. We’ve got to get back to being a law-and-order state.”

Health care

Ciattarelli says he would ban abortion after 20 weeks except in cases of rape, incest and danger to the mother’s health. He also would require parental notification for minors seeking to terminate pregnancies.

He is calling for the construction of mental-health centers and homeless shelters in all 21 counties.

He also plans to make health insurers cover the costs of patients’ out-of-network care in emergencies. Insurers also would be required to cover patients’ ongoing care if their health-care providers no longer are in network. 

He says he supports Trump’s Medicaid cuts, which imperil services for more than 300,000 New Jerseyans. Billions of dollars of Medicaid funding would be better directed to “high-quality and culturally competent” community-based clinics, according to his website.

Education

Ciattarelli says the state needs a new school funding formula based on per-student spending. Those dollars could be used for children to attend public, private or charter schools.

He also wants the Department of Education to concentrate on under-performing districts. Children who are behind in “critical life skills” subjects such as reading, writing and math should focus on those areas until they reach grade level, he says. 

“Where districts are failing, I’ll provide a choice – vouchers and more charter schools – and deploy high-impact curricula like Louisiana and Mississippi use,” said Ciattarelli in the second debate. 

Tempers flare

Sherrill and Ciattarelli had tough words for one another at the second debate. His campaign acquired and released her military records, including her Social Security number. The records showed that Sherrill was barred from her Naval Academy commencement ceremony. She said it was her punishment for not turning in classmates who had cheated.

“I walked at my college graduation,” Ciattarelli said.

Sherrill fired back:  “He touts about being a businessman, but he made millions working with some of the worst opioid offenders, publishing propaganda claiming opioids were safe while tens of thousands of New Jerseyans died, and even got paid to develop an app that made it easier for people with addiction to get opioids.”

Ciattarelli’s campaign has said the publishing company he founded was distributing information to medical professionals. It called Sherrill’s allegations lies and vowed to sue her for the remarks.

The Trump factor

Ciattarelli gives the president an A grade, saying Trump is “right about securing the border” and has brought down inflation. In turn, Trump endorsed Ciattarelli.

“Jack, who after getting to know and understand MAGA, has gone ALL IN, and is now 100% (PLUS!),” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. 

“I’m so very grateful for his active involvement,” Ciattarelli said at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster.

Rasmussen, of the Rider political institute, says the Trump affiliation may or may not be a bonus.

“If Republicans were not defending the White House, they would have an easier time, I think,” Rasmussen said.

This article is written by Rebecca Wechter, courtesy of the NJ State House News Service.