Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Spadea, on leave from his morning radio show on NJ 101.5, has gone from radio and TV host to contender for the highest office in New Jersey. On radio and TV, he’s leaned into his audience with a Fox News-adjacent style, even having President Donald Trump on his radio show.
“I’ve had him on my radio show a few times and we’ve had great conversations both publicly and privately,” Spadea said recently. “I’m the only candidate that has been with him since the escalator. Sure, I’ve been critical of a few things, and I’ve brought that to the President’s attention. We’ve talked about some of the areas where we disagreed right on my radio show.”
It’s still unclear what Trump will do in June’s primary election. Ashley Koning, director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling, said the center’s research shows Republican voters are split on whether Trump would sway their votes for one candidate or another. The most recent Eagleton poll shows former state Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli with a 30-point lead.
Spadea will join Ciattarelli and Sen. Jon Bramnick (R-Union) in NJ Spotlight News’ “Conversations with the Gubernatorial Candidates” this Wednesday, May 7 at 7 p.m. on NJ PBS and the NJ Spotlight News YouTube channel. This is one of the mandatory public events for candidates receiving public financing.
