New Jersey gubernatorial hopeful Jack Ciattarelli exuded confidence that his third campaign for governor is the one to propel him to Drumthwacket and downplayed concerns about President Trump’s impact on his prospects in an exclusive interview with The Post.
Maybe the third time is the charm.
New Jersey gubernatorial hopeful Jack Ciattarelli exuded confidence that his third campaign for governor is the one to propel him to Drumthwacket and downplayed concerns about President Trump’s impact on his prospects in an exclusive interview with The Post.
“It’s not really lessons as much as it is the landscape is very different,” Ciattarelli reflected, when asked about what he learned from his 2021 bid in which he came within about 3 percentage points of Gov. Phil Murphy (D).
Ciattarelli spoke to The Post after wrapping up an energetic rally at the swanky Spring Lake Manor on Thursday that had been forced indoors due to torrential rain earlier in the day.
The rally was part of a swing through Monmouth County, which Ciattarelli is hoping to make redder on Election Day.
“We’re not competing with a pandemic this time around or a shelter-in-place order. So I can go anywhere and everywhere, and that’s exactly what I love to do,” he continued. “The other thing that is different this time around is we’re not running against an incumbent.”
“And the third thing is that there’s a lot less indifference. The closeness of my race in ’21 was a real eye-opener for people inside and outside the state. And you just feel a lot more energy this time around because people know we can win.”
The former three-term New Jersey state General Assembly rep. had vied unsuccessfully for the GOP gubernatorial nominee in 2017, before winning the nod in 2021 and running a surprisingly close race against Murphy.
