Republican candidate Jack Ciattarelli's son, Army Capt. Jake, returned home from Kuwait to surprise his dad Monday as New Jersey's red-hot governor's race closes in on the finish line.
Ciattarelli had reportedly been speaking to supporters at Murph's Tavern in Totowa when he was interrupted by Passaic County Republican Chairman Peter Murphy.
"You don't know what I'm going to say right now, but your biggest supporter who serves his country just came over overnight to serve you," Murphy, the owner of the bar and a longtime friend and supporter of Ciattarelli, said, according to the New York Post.
Ciattarelli looked slightly confused and asked, "Who's here?"
According to video posted online, the room erupted in cheers and chants of "USA" as Jake, dressed in his Army uniform, walked up to his dad and gave him a heartfelt hug.
Apparently caught off guard by the turn of events, the GOP hopeful proceeded to crack a few jokes about the younger Ciattarelli's return.
"Now let me guess: You called the president yesterday. He sent Air Force One over to Kuwait and picked up Jake," Ciattarelli said. "And if I know the young man, he'll probably be on a plane this afternoon back to Kuwait to defend our country."
He added, "What he probably forgot to do because he's been so busy defending our nation, he probably forgot to get in his vote-by-mail ballot. He's here to vote."
Jake later told reporters that he plans to remain in the U.S. to support his father through Thursday.
Ciattarelli has alluded to his son's military service while on the campaign trail, posting a picture of him on Instagram in April pointing to a "New Jersey Ave" sign in the Middle East.
The Post reported that Ciattarelli's Monday schedule was jam-packed, with a tele-rally with President Donald Trump scheduled for later in the day as well as a stop in Neptune City before wrapping things up at a final rally in Raritan.
He was trailing Democrat rival Rep. Mikie Sherrill by 3.3 percentage points in the latest RealClearPolitics polling aggregate, in what has shaped up to be a squeaker of a race.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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