In New Jersey governor's race, Jack Ciattarelli says 2025 is Republicans' year

CBS News

16 hours ago

Jack Ciattarelli, the Republican nominee in the 2025 New Jersey governor's race, says he's ready to take on Democratic nominee Rep. Mikie Sherrill.
Ciattarelli defeated four other candidates in the GOP primary, while Sherrill finished first out of six Democrats who ran.
Ciattarelli on big issues in New Jersey governor's race
Ciattarelli said Sunday on CBS News New York's "The Point with Marcia Kramer" that he believes 2025 is the year for Republicans to take back control in the Garden State.
"We've got an affordability crisis in New Jersey, our individuals and our businesses pay the highest overall taxes in the nation. I can fix that by reducing the size and cost of our state government," he said.
"We have a public safety crisis across New Jersey, nonviolent crime is through the roof, and look at the flash mobs on our Jersey Shore, particularly over the Memorial Day weekend," he said. "Public education crisis in the state, we just slipped from two to 12 on the national report card because [Gov. Phil Murphy] shut us down for two years during the pandemic and hasn't put programs in place to make up for that learning loss. Overdevelopment, our suburbs, it's across the board, Marcia."
Ciattarelli said his campaign will ultimately ask voters to weigh Sherrill's support for Murphy's policies against his opposition come Election Day.
"There's all kinds of crises raging throughout our state. Phil Murphy's tenure has been a failure. She's supported every one of his policies. We're gonna remind people of that," he said.
Ciattarelli on President Trump's impact on the race
Ciattarelli, who Sherrill called a "Trump lackey" in her victory speech, believes President Trump's endorsement will work to his advantage in a state that went to then-Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024.
"In fact, at my acceptance speech the other night, what I said was, if this was a drinking game and you took a shot every time [Sherrill] says 'Trump,' you'll be drunk every day between now and Election Day," he said.
"When the other side is calling you names, it means they're worried and we're winning," he added. "Donald Trump got 500,000 more votes than Phil Murphy did in the last gubernatorial and presidential election combined. He's polling seven points ahead of Gov. Murphy in this supposedly 'deep blue' state of New Jersey, and he's taken policy positions that are overwhelmingly received well by New Jerseyans."
Ciattarelli highlighted Mr. Trump's opposition to wind farms off the Jersey Shore and New York City congestion pricing, as well as support for raising the SALT cap.
Click here to watch the full interview with Ciattarelli.