Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli says he's confident his third campaign for New Jersey governor will succeed where his previous two fell short, pointing to stronger internal polls, greater voter enthusiasm, and a changing political landscape.
Speaking after a rally at the Spring Lake Manor on Thursday, the former state assemblyman said his campaign has momentum heading into Election Day, reported the New York Post on Friday.
Ciattarelli lost narrowly to Democrat Gov. Phil Murphy in 2021, but now he says he is benefiting from not challenging an incumbent this time around for the office.
The end of pandemic restrictions and increased voter engagement after his strong showing four years ago are also factors, he said.
"The closeness of my race in '21 was a real eye-opener for people inside and outside the state," he said. "You just feel a lot more energy this time around because people know we can win."
Ciattarelli said during a town hall Thursday night that internal polling shows him performing "a whole lot better" than in 2021.
He also pointed to a record number of Republicans returning mail ballots and matching Democrats in early voting turnout.
"If we go into Election Day within a certain number of points, we're going to win this thing," he said, adding that his in-person vote totals surpassed Murphy's in the last election.
Democrat candidate Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J., has brought in high-profile supporters, including former President Barack Obama, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, to rally her base.
But Ciattarelli brushed off the star power, saying the race will be decided by the candidates themselves.
"She could bring in the ghost of FDR. It's not going to matter," he said. "The candidate has to go out and win the race."
While Democrats argue that national politics could weigh against Republicans, Ciattarelli said voters are focused on state issues.
"The motivating factor here is the failure of the current administration," he said. "It's been a failure across the board."
Polls show Sherrill holding a narrow 3.6-point lead, though Ciattarelli noted that surveys underestimated him by about 5 points in 2021.
"This is a state where Republicans are typically underpolled because there are so many more Democrats," he told supporters. "We are right where we need to be."
President Donald Trump has refrained from campaigning in person for Ciattarelli but held a tele-rally in support of his candidacy.
Sherrill has invoked Trump frequently on the trail, hoping to energize Democrat voters by tying her opponent to the president.
But Ciattarelli rejected the idea that Trump is hurting his chances, instead crediting the president for policies that benefited New Jersey.
"He improved by over 10 points in New Jersey '20 compared to '24, and he's done some really good things for New Jersey," he said, noting Trump's opposition to New York's congestion pricing plan and his signing of the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," which raised the cap on state and local tax deductions.
Trump, for his part, has urged New Jersey voters to back Ciattarelli, calling Sherrill a "fake and corrupt radical left Democrat" who would push the state into a "death spiral."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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