Latest news with #BillSpadea
Associated Press
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Trump backs Jack Ciattarelli in New Jersey's Republican primary for governor
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — President Donald Trump endorsed Republican Jack Ciattarelli in New Jersey's GOP primary, saying he's gone 'ALL IN' on the 'Make America Great Again' agenda. Trump's endorsement came Monday in a Truth Social post and gives Ciattarelli's campaign a boost as he competes against two other Trump supporters and a state senator who has been critical of the president. The president's endorsement and Ciattarelli's gratitude to Trump in a social media post of his own reflect the president's influence in the party, even in Democratic-leaning New Jersey. Trump's endorsement hinted at Ciattarelli's earlier criticism of Trump during his first run for the White House a decade ago, when he said Trump wasn't fit for the presidency. 'Jack, who after getting to know and understand MAGA, has gone ALL IN, and is now 100% (PLUS!),' Trump said in the Truth Social post. Ciattarelli said in a post on X that he was 'truly humbled and honored' by the endorsement. 'It's time to unite our party, win big in November, and make New Jersey affordable and safe again,' he said. Bill Spadea, a former radio host who's also running in the June 10 primary and has called for replicating the president's approach in New Jersey, suggested the president was backing Ciattarelli because some polling indicated he was in the lead. '(Trump) endorsed a poll not a plan,' he said on X. 'We have the only plan and core principles to restore common sense to New Jersey government.' Trump's endorsement comes after he met earlier this year with Ciattarelli at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club. Ciattarelli's campaign has said it sought the president's endorsement and pointed to his performance in the 2024 election in which the president flipped former blue counties red. New Jersey has been reliably Democratic in U.S. presidential and Senate elections. But its odd-year gubernatorial contests have seesawed between Democrats and Republicans. Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, a two-term incumbent, cannot seek a third-straight term under state law. Democrats are also locked in competitive primary. In addition to Ciattarelli and Spadea, former Englewood Cliffs Mayor Mario Kranjac and state Sen. Jon Bramnick are seeking their party's nomination. Ciattarelli, 63, is an accountant and small business owner who served in the state Assembly and county office. He ran unsuccessfully for governor in the previous two cycles. In 2021, he came within a few percentage points of defeating Murphy. In 2017, he lost in the GOP primary to then-Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno.
CBS News
08-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Newark Airport, NJ Transit issues discussed at New Jersey Republican gubernatorial debate
Three top Republican candidates for New Jersey governor participated in a fiery debate Wednesday. The contenders sparred on hot-button issues, including immigration, affordability, fixing NJ Transit and the recent problems at Newark Liberty International Airport. Candidates support Trump's agenda Former gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli, state Sen. Jon Bramnick, and former radio and TV host Bill Spadea each fought for GOP support and welcomed the backing of President Trump. "Two million people voted for Donald Trump. He's done right by New Jersey with the wind farms, congestion pricing. Yes," Ciattarelli said. "If the president of the United States decides that Jon Bramnick's his man, hey, thank you very much," Bramnick said. "As the only guy here who's been with Trump, supporting him since the escalator in 2015, absolutely," Spadea said. President Trump had a strong showing in New Jersey in November, losing the state by just 6 points, and that had the candidates explaining what they would do regarding the administration's agenda on immigration. "I will follow the lead of what Tom Homan and the president have set out, and yes, we'll use the state police and the National Guard if necessary to deport criminal aliens," Spadea said. When asked if there was a middle ground, Spadea said, "There's always a middle ground." "Bad guys, they should be deported. There are people that have to be deported ... I'm not getting in front of ICE, but I'll tell you this, everyone deserves a hearing," Bramnick said. "The president's first goal is to make the country safe again. He's gotta do that by securing the border," Ciattarelli said. Gubernatorial candidates address mass transit issues The debate came as NJ Transit is negotiating to try to avert a possible labor strike, and Newark Airport is facing flight chaos. Each candidate was asked what a governor could do. "Apparently for many years, the FAA has allowed the infrastructure at Newark not to keep up with modern technology," Bramnick said. "Why don't we have our air traffic controllers working 12-hour shifts? Our cops and our nurses both work 12-hour shifts. Right now, these guys are limited to 10 hours," Spadea said. "I believe leadership makes a difference. With competent leadership, we can fix our mass transit systems," Ciattarelli said. New Jersey voters will have only a few more weeks to make up their minds. The Democratic gubernatorial debate will be held on Sunday, May 18, in Newark. Both the Republican and Democratic primaries will be held June 10.
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
He was once evicted by the RNC. Now he wants to be governor.
NEW BRUNSWICK, New Jersey — As a young conservative activist in the 1990s, Bill Spadea stood proudly to the right in the Republican Party. He eschewed the 'big tent' axiom espoused by Republicans. He said President George H.W. Bush and the RNC's leadership were not conservative enough. He described himself as 'anti-homosexual.' And as chair of the College Republican National Committee, his fundraising tactics were condemned by multiple U.S. senators — including the late Bob Dole (R-Kan.). Now, Spadea is running for governor of New Jersey by trying to brand himself as the Republican candidate most aligned with President Donald Trump, who came within six points of winning the Garden State in 2024. The former conservative talk radio host is pledging to defund Planned Parenthood, espousing an 'unwavering' commitment to the Second Amendment and calling for a carbon copy of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency. The MAGA brand of Republicanism isn't just fueled by political upstarts — it's also giving longtime ideologues their biggest stage yet. Spadea's candidacy tests whether the once-insurgent right, sidelined for years even inside the GOP, can resonate in a state where the party has traditionally preferred moderate Republicans for governor. 'Bill has been an ideologue – he's always been an ideologue of true conservative principles,' Fred Bartlett Jr., who worked at the college RNC during Spadea's time in office, said in an interview. New Jersey has sent Republicans to the governor's mansion in the past, most recently Chris Christie. A younger Spadea found himself railing against one of those Republicans: Christine Todd Whitman, who he said was so moderate she shared many of the same views as the Democratic Party. 'No tent is big enough for diametrically opposed philosophies," a 26-year-old Spadea, then chair of the college RNC, told a reporter at the time. 'And to liberal Republicans who are pro-abortion, pro-gay rights, pro-big government and anti-Second Amendment, I say, look, there is already a party that represents all those fundamental beliefs." It was during that time Spadea, now 56, first drew the ire of Democrats and Republicans at a national level — and found himself earning headlines in the process. It's not an experience he refers to on the campaign trail; his leadership of the college RNC was a chaotic period where the national party defunded his group and evicted him from his office. 'I think it was visionary and I think it was tumultuous,' Bartlett said. Spadea's uncompromising positions continued as he built a career as conservative radio host in New Jersey — pushing against vaccine mandates and peddling 2020 election conspiracies. Today, Spadea's sharp-tongued rhetoric on the campaign trail, where he's running to succeed Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, contrasts with his primary opponents: Jack Ciattarelli, who preaches GOP unity, and the moderate state Sen. Jon Bramnick, who has made civility in politics a key part of his political brand. (A longshot GOP candidate, Mario Kranjac, calls himself the 'only' true Trump Republican in the race.) 'If Bill Spadea is going to be the nominee he's going to tank our chances throughout the legislature,' said GOP Assemblymember Brian Bergen, a frequent Spadea critic. 'This guy is a self serving person who doesn't give a damn about making this state Republican. He only cares about himself.' In a statement to POLITICO, Spadea campaign manager Tom Bonfonti did not directly address Spadea's time as a young conservative activist or directly answer a list of questions but said that, '[u]nlike Jack Ciattarelli, Bill has always been a consistent and unapologetic conservative' and 'not a moderate career politician.' As a fresh college graduate, Spadea, began his career organizing young Republicans for George H.W. Bush's 1992 campaign for president. Speaking with the press at the time, Spadea described the Presidential race against Bill Clinton as a 'war' for 'the soul of the country.' And he railed against his perceived liberal foes – namely 'tree huggers,' the 'cultural elite' who support political correctness and 'militant feminism and homosexuality.' "You don't get any homosexuals in our movement," a 23-year-old Spadea said. "You don't get any people who are sympathetic to the homosexual cause. We really don't want them, but they don't want any part of us." Despite working to get Bush another four years in office, the incumbent president was not an ideological fit for Spadea. "The president is not as conservative as we would like," Spadea said at the time. Still, the position introduced Spadea to political organizing — and perhaps a desire for higher office. In September 1992, an up-and-coming Robert Downey Jr. spoke with Spadea for a documentary on the presidential race, with a group of pro-Spadea Republicans interrupting the interview chanting: 'Bill for President!' Shortly after the Bush campaign, Spadea won a two-year term as chair of the college RNC starting in 1993. It is the only elected position Spadea has held — and it was a tumultuous tenure. Spadea's first major crisis as chair stemmed from a fundraising letter he signed that said Sen. Bob Kerrey (D-Neb.) betrayed America for supporting President Bill Clinton's spending plan. 'In America treason was once punishable by hanging – so despicable was the offense of betrayal,' Spadea wrote in the fundraising mailer. 'I am not saying that Senator Kerrey committed treason. But still … you and I need to let Senator Kerrey know that his betrayal is still despicable – still deserving of punishment.' Democrats and Republicans took to the Senate floor in October 1993 to repudiate the mailer and Spadea. Sen. Jim Exon (D-Neb.) called it the 'most despicable piece of political literature that perhaps I have ever seen in my life.' Dole said that 'this is not the way that politics ought to be.' Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) wanted Spadea to face financial ruin over the letter. 'I hope he does not raise the money that pays for the postage,' Reid said from the Senate floor. 'I hope he has personally signed a note for the postage. I hope he cannot pay it. I hope they file a lawsuit against him and assess costs and attorneys fees and garnish his wages, if he works. I hope they take his bank account. I hope they take his car to pay for the postage for this trash.' Spadea later told the Federal Election Commission that producing and distributing the fundraising letter cost $66,030 but only raised $18,512 — a net loss of $47,517. Kerrey said the letter enraged him so much that he mused about a physical fight with Spadea. "It said in the letter that we stopped lynching people. Well, we also stopped calling out people for duels, and it's a good thing for [Spadea]," Kerrey said at the time. "It's about as far out as I've seen. It makes me want to inflict bodily harm." Spadea told the Washington Post that he apologized to Kerrey over the letter. But just a few weeks later he said that Clinton, the media and Kerrey – who lost part of his leg in the Vietnam War — were 'a greater threat to individual liberty and limited constitutional government than the Viet Cong ever were.' 'Even winning the Medal of Honor doesn't give a man the right to vote his country into socialism,' Spadea said in a statement at the time From the start of his term as college RNC chair in 1993, Spadea viewed his role as keeping the Republican Party to the right. In an early letter he said the group could be 'instrumental' in ensuring the party remains close to the 'principled conservatism of Ronald Reagan' rather than 'self-serving pragmatism.' That goal caused him to clash with party leaders. Spadea was the editor of the Broadside, a newsletter from the college RNC. Under his leadership the publication ran opinion pieces from conservative activist Howard Phillips advocating for an alternative to the Republican Party, as well as an advertisement criticizing Bush and Reagan. The advocacy for a third party — which Spadea said he did not personally support — was the breaking point for national GOP leaders. In January 1995, top RNC officials wrote to Spadea that it would be cutting off funding for the group, changing the locks to their offices as well as any salaries funded by the RNC. RNC Chairman Haley Barbour wrote to Spadea that the college RNC engaged in 'irresponsible conduct.' Publicly, Spadea did little to make amends with the RNC. "We don't want to go back to the RNC," Spadea told the Associated Press. "I'm far to the right of Haley Barbour and I refuse to blindly toe the line.'' Exiled from the Washington office, Spadea found refuge with Phillips. The conservative activist let the college RNC use his office space above a deli in suburban Virginia — a downgrade from the Capitol Hill offices the group previously occupied. Spadea did not run for another term as chair of the group and found himself to be a pariah among Republicans. Several state college GOP leaders from across the country — including Arkansas, New York, North and South Carolina, Iowa and Louisiana — supported the RNC's decision, according to contemporaneous media reports. '[Spadea] has used his position to divide the CR's and build his own empire," Tony Zagotta, Spadea's predecessor as chair of the group who supported his candidacy, said in 1995. "He's been very destructive to our organization." Years after his time as a conservative youth activist, Spadea made two unsuccessful attempts for public office: Once running for Congress in 2004, when he moderated his message, and again in a special election for state Assembly in 2012. But Spadea found his largest following as a conservative media personality, hosting the morning drive-time slot for New Jersey 101.5. On the airwaves he frequently railed against pandemic restrictions and gained a reputation for jumping headfirst into culture war issues. Last year, he defended an MLB player who called a heckler a homophobic slur and also supported a New Jersey mayor who'd been caught using the n-word and joking about lynching Black people. And on the campaign trail, he's showing no signs he'll moderate his message before the June primary — or after, if he comes out on top. Spadea has said 'there is no such thing as a trans kid' and promised to install conservative Moms For Liberty activists to the state's top education roles. He envisions nearly unchecked governing authority, promising to rule by executive order for his first 100 days in office and 'ignore' the state Legislature and judiciary. Public polling shows Spadea trailing the frontrunner in the GOP primary, Ciattarelli, although the former radio host is still viewed as a serious competitor for the nomination. Some Republicans in the state are worried about the down ballot impact for Republicans if Spadea clinches the nomination — with Bergen saying 'without a doubt' he would lose the general election for 'silly' rhetoric he uses in the primary. 'Anybody can see the path painting Bill Spadea as somebody who is just a talk show host with zero experience in life, in anything, in leading anybody and would be a train wreck as governor,' he said. 'That's not a hard picture to paint.' For Spadea, being disliked by fellow Republicans is nothing new. 'We were just more conservative and we didn't really we didn't play politics,' Bartlett, who formerly worked at the college RNC, recalled from his time working with Spadea. 'We were uncompromising in our principles, and I don't think the party liked that.' — Eden Teshome contributed to this report.
Politico
20-04-2025
- Politics
- Politico
He was once evicted by the RNC. Now he wants to be governor.
NEW BRUNSWICK, New Jersey — As a young conservative activist in the 1990s, Bill Spadea stood proudly to the right in the Republican Party. He eschewed the 'big tent' axiom espoused by Republicans. He said President George H.W. Bush and the RNC's leadership were not conservative enough. He described himself as 'anti-homosexual.' And as chair of the College Republican National Committee, his fundraising tactics were condemned by multiple U.S. senators — including the late Bob Dole (R-Kan.). Now, Spadea is running for governor of New Jersey by trying to brand himself as the Republican candidate most aligned with President Donald Trump, who came within six points of winning the Garden State in 2024. The former conservative talk radio host is pledging to defund Planned Parenthood , espousing an ' unwavering ' commitment to the Second Amendment and calling for a carbon copy of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency. The MAGA brand of Republicanism isn't just fueled by political upstarts — it's also giving longtime ideologues their biggest stage yet. Spadea's candidacy tests whether the once-insurgent right, sidelined for years even inside the GOP, can resonate in a state where the party has traditionally preferred moderate Republicans for governor. 'Bill has been an ideologue – he's always been an ideologue of true conservative principles,' Fred Bartlett Jr., who worked at the college RNC during Spadea's time in office, said in an interview. New Jersey has sent Republicans to the governor's mansion in the past, most recently Chris Christie. A younger Spadea found himself railing against one of those Republicans: Christine Todd Whitman, who he said was so moderate she shared many of the same views as the Democratic Party. 'No tent is big enough for diametrically opposed philosophies,' a 26-year-old Spadea, then chair of the college RNC, told a reporter at the time. 'And to liberal Republicans who are pro-abortion, pro-gay rights, pro-big government and anti-Second Amendment, I say, look, there is already a party that represents all those fundamental beliefs.' It was during that time Spadea, now 56, first drew the ire of Democrats and Republicans at a national level — and found himself earning headlines in the process. It's not an experience he refers to on the campaign trail; his leadership of the college RNC was a chaotic period where the national party defunded his group and evicted him from his office. 'I think it was visionary and I think it was tumultuous,' Bartlett said. Spadea's uncompromising positions continued as he built a career as conservative radio host in New Jersey — pushing against vaccine mandates and peddling 2020 election conspiracies. Today, Spadea's sharp-tongued rhetoric on the campaign trail, where he's running to succeed Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, contrasts with his primary opponents: Jack Ciattarelli, who preaches GOP unity, and the moderate state Sen. Jon Bramnick, who has made civility in politics a key part of his political brand. (A longshot GOP candidate, Mario Kranjac, calls himself the 'only' true Trump Republican in the race.) 'If Bill Spadea is going to be the nominee he's going to tank our chances throughout the legislature,' said GOP Assemblymember Brian Bergen, a frequent Spadea critic. 'This guy is a self serving person who doesn't give a damn about making this state Republican. He only cares about himself.' In a statement to POLITICO, Spadea campaign manager Tom Bonfonti did not directly address Spadea's time as a young conservative activist or directly answer a list of questions but said that, '[u]nlike Jack Ciattarelli, Bill has always been a consistent and unapologetic conservative' and 'not a moderate career politician.' As a fresh college graduate, Spadea, began his career organizing young Republicans for George H.W. Bush's 1992 campaign for president. Speaking with the press at the time, Spadea described the Presidential race against Bill Clinton as a 'war' for 'the soul of the country.' And he railed against his perceived liberal foes – namely ' tree huggers ,' the 'cultural elite' who support political correctness and ' militant feminism and homosexuality .' 'You don't get any homosexuals in our movement,' a 23-year-old Spadea said . 'You don't get any people who are sympathetic to the homosexual cause. We really don't want them, but they don't want any part of us.' Despite working to get Bush another four years in office, the incumbent president was not an ideological fit for Spadea. 'The president is not as conservative as we would like,' Spadea said at the time . Still, the position introduced Spadea to political organizing — and perhaps a desire for higher office. In September 1992, an up-and-coming Robert Downey Jr. spoke with Spadea for a documentary on the presidential race , with a group of pro-Spadea Republicans interrupting the interview chanting: 'Bill for President!' Shortly after the Bush campaign, Spadea won a two-year term as chair of the college RNC starting in 1993. It is the only elected position Spadea has held — and it was a tumultuous tenure. Spadea's first major crisis as chair stemmed from a fundraising letter he signed that said Sen. Bob Kerrey (D-Neb.) betrayed America for supporting President Bill Clinton's spending plan. 'In America treason was once punishable by hanging – so despicable was the offense of betrayal,' Spadea wrote in the fundraising mailer. 'I am not saying that Senator Kerrey committed treason. But still … you and I need to let Senator Kerrey know that his betrayal is still despicable – still deserving of punishment.' Democrats and Republicans took to the Senate floor in October 1993 to repudiate the mailer and Spadea. Sen. Jim Exon (D-Neb.) called it the 'most despicable piece of political literature that perhaps I have ever seen in my life.' Dole said that 'this is not the way that politics ought to be.' Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) wanted Spadea to face financial ruin over the letter. 'I hope he does not raise the money that pays for the postage,' Reid said from the Senate floor. 'I hope he has personally signed a note for the postage. I hope he cannot pay it. I hope they file a lawsuit against him and assess costs and attorneys fees and garnish his wages, if he works. I hope they take his bank account. I hope they take his car to pay for the postage for this trash.' Spadea later told the Federal Election Commission that producing and distributing the fundraising letter cost $66,030 but only raised $18,512 — a net loss of $47,517. Kerrey said the letter enraged him so much that he mused about a physical fight with Spadea. 'It said in the letter that we stopped lynching people. Well, we also stopped calling out people for duels, and it's a good thing for [Spadea],' Kerrey said at the time. 'It's about as far out as I've seen. It makes me want to inflict bodily harm.' Spadea told the Washington Post that he apologized to Kerrey over the letter. But just a few weeks later he said that Clinton, the media and Kerrey – who lost part of his leg in the Vietnam War — were 'a greater threat to individual liberty and limited constitutional government than the Viet Cong ever were.' 'Even winning the Medal of Honor doesn't give a man the right to vote his country into socialism,' Spadea said in a statement at the time From the start of his term as college RNC chair in 1993, Spadea viewed his role as keeping the Republican Party to the right. In an early letter he said the group could be 'instrumental' in ensuring the party remains close to the ' principled conservatism of Ronald Reagan ' rather than 'self-serving pragmatism.' That goal caused him to clash with party leaders. Spadea was the editor of the Broadside , a newsletter from the college RNC. Under his leadership the publication ran opinion pieces from conservative activist Howard Phillips advocating for an alternative to the Republican Party, as well as an advertisement criticizing Bush and Reagan. The advocacy for a third party — which Spadea said he did not personally support — was the breaking point for national GOP leaders. In January 1995, top RNC officials wrote to Spadea that it would be cutting off funding for the group, changing the locks to their offices as well as any salaries funded by the RNC. RNC Chairman Haley Barbour wrote to Spadea that the college RNC engaged in 'irresponsible conduct.' Publicly, Spadea did little to make amends with the RNC. 'We don't want to go back to the RNC,' Spadea told the Associated Press. 'I'm far to the right of Haley Barbour and I refuse to blindly toe the line.'' Exiled from the Washington office, Spadea found refuge with Phillips. The conservative activist let the college RNC use his office space above a deli in suburban Virginia — a downgrade from the Capitol Hill offices the group previously occupied. Spadea did not run for another term as chair of the group and found himself to be a pariah among Republicans. Several state college GOP leaders from across the country — including Arkansas, New York, North and South Carolina, Iowa and Louisiana — supported the RNC's decision, according to contemporaneous media reports. '[Spadea] has used his position to divide the CR's and build his own empire,' Tony Zagotta, Spadea's predecessor as chair of the group who supported his candidacy, said in 1995 . 'He's been very destructive to our organization.' Years after his time as a conservative youth activist, Spadea made two unsuccessful attempts for public office: Once running for Congress in 2004, when he moderated his message, and again in a special election for state Assembly in 2012. But Spadea found his largest following as a conservative media personality, hosting the morning drive-time slot for New Jersey 101.5. On the airwaves he frequently railed against pandemic restrictions and gained a reputation for jumping headfirst into culture war issues. Last year, he defended an MLB player who called a heckler a homophobic slur and also supported a New Jersey mayor who'd been caught using the n-word and joking about lynching Black people. And on the campaign trail, he's showing no signs he'll moderate his message before the June primary — or after, if he comes out on top. Spadea has said 'there is no such thing as a trans kid' and promised to install conservative Moms For Liberty activists to the state's top education roles. He envisions nearly unchecked governing authority, promising to rule by executive order for his first 100 days in office and ' ignore ' the state Legislature and judiciary. Public polling shows Spadea trailing the frontrunner in the GOP primary, Ciattarelli, although the former radio host is still viewed as a serious competitor for the nomination. Some Republicans in the state are worried about the down ballot impact for Republicans if Spadea clinches the nomination — with Bergen saying 'without a doubt' he would lose the general election for 'silly' rhetoric he uses in the primary. 'Anybody can see the path painting Bill Spadea as somebody who is just a talk show host with zero experience in life, in anything, in leading anybody and would be a train wreck as governor,' he said. 'That's not a hard picture to paint.' For Spadea, being disliked by fellow Republicans is nothing new. 'We were just more conservative and we didn't really we didn't play politics,' Bartlett, who formerly worked at the college RNC, recalled from his time working with Spadea. 'We were uncompromising in our principles, and I don't think the party liked that.' — Eden Teshome contributed to this report.
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
New Jersey's Republican candidates for governor debated. Here's what they said
Two days after their counterparts across the aisle gathered to debate, the hopefuls for New Jersey's Republican gubernatorial nomination debated at Rider University Tuesday. Hosted by the New Jersey Globe, On New Jersey and the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University, the event featured four candidates, though another, former Englewood Cliffs Mayor Mario Kranjac, entered the race on Monday. The proceedings were considerably livelier than Sunday night's Democratic debate. The four candidates came out swinging and did not hold back with made attacks on one another a major feature of the evening. Throughout the debate, former Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli and radio personality Bill Spadea accused each other of lying and being owned by corporate interests. Arguments about who has supported President Donald Trump longer finally got to the point where state Sen. Jon Bramnick, a Never Trumper, remarked the debate should be about 'who loves New Jersey the most — not who loves Donald Trump.' State Sen. Jon Bramnick, 71, has served in the Legislature for decades, first in the Assembly and now in the state Senate. He's also a lawyer and a stand-up comedian. On day one: 'I would end sanctuary states for real simple reason. If we're a Iaw-and-order state, we have to follow law and order … I feel very badly about certain people having been here for 30 years and this is their life, but we have to follow the law as the government of this state.' On the political establishment: 'We have corruption in this state, so you need to appoint an attorney general who will make sure that he roots out corruption, same with the United States Attorney, but this concept of 'deep state,' those are the kind of terms that you throw out there and what are you talking about? Corruption? Yes, we have corruption and we need to address that but deep state because someone has been elected to the Legislature for a while, all the sudden they are in the deep state. That's that mythology that I think you hear on cable TV." Closing statement: 'The facts are still the facts. My friend, Bill Spadea, hasn't won an election. He's lost elections. Jack has already been rejected by the voters on two occasions, so it doesn't make sense to go back for a third time when they've already rejected him. My friend, Ed the Trucker, he came in for two years and then he lost. I have a consistent record of winning in districts that are dominated by Democrats and dominated by independent voters.' Former Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli, 63, served in the state Assembly and in county and local government. He initially called Trump a "charlatan" in 2015 but later endorsed Trump and in 2020 spoke at a "Stop the Steal" rally promoting the false conspiracy that voter fraud put Democrat Joe Biden in office, though Ciattarelli has not publicly endorsed it. One day one: 'Executive order number one no town in this state will be a sanctuary city and we will not be a sanctuary state. Executive order number two, our 65,000 state workers are coming back to work … also on day one I call for the resignation of all those that sit on the state board of education.' On the political establishment: '[Gov.] Phil Murphy as a CEO has been MIA as has his administration and when that happens mid-level bureaucrats in Trenton and during his tenure have become a police state and collection agencies instead of partners.' Closing statement: 'We've got crises in this state and we need a serious candidate, a serious candidate who brings very positive energy to campaign, who is going to get up and down the state and unlike my two opponents, raise money to win the election.' Former state Sen. Ed Durr, 61, made nationally headlines when he unseated then state Senate President Steve Sweeney in 2021. He served one term and lost his re-election bid. He's also a truck driver. On day one: 'Everything that Gov. [Phil] Murphy made in executive orders, I'd rescind starting with his COVID lockdown orders to his sanctuary state orders, removing employees because they didn't take the COVID shot. All of it's gone, day one.' On the political establishment: 'We have guys here who have been in the system for years. We have people who've been part of the system who are running other campaigns. This is a cabal for lack of a better term that has controlled New Jersey and they like the status quo.' Closing statement: 'I plan on shocking the establishment again by becoming governor with your help. It's no secret New Jersey has an affordability problem. I'm regular guy. I'm just like you and the working class has been crushed by high taxes in New Jersey. Democrats don't know how to fix it and the establishment don't want to fix it. The only way to fix New Jersey is by doing something different and I'm different." What they said: New Jersey's Democratic candidates for governor debated Former radio personality Bill Spadea, 55, became a household name hosting a morning show on New Jersey 101.5 where he was often an outspoken critic of elected officials, including Gov. Phil Murphy's handling of the pandemic. He unsuccessfully ran for Congress and the state Legislature. On day one: 'We're going to rescind the 2018 executive order and get rid of the sanctuary state. We're going to rescind the 2019 immigrant trust directive. We're going to issue a series of executive orders, we've got five already written, to stop phase four of this high density housing nonsense that is crushing our suburban communities.' On the political establishment: 'You have to ask yourself why Jack Ciattarelli … he and his corporate lobbyist buddies… all of these deep pockets back room elites have spent millions of dollars attacking me and you know why? Because I started a group called Elect Common Cents and Elect Common Cents raised a million dollars in 10 months and our average donation was $11.14.' Closing statement: 'I'm going to commit to you tonight to serve one term as your governor because we have to separate the politics of reelection from the job of governing and when you look at what has to happen in this state, a lot of unpopular political decisions will be made. It's going to be a tough, tough road and that's why I'm making that commitment." Katie Sobko covers the New Jersey Statehouse. Email: sobko@ This article originally appeared on NJ Republican governor candidates debate: What they said
