Some of the Republican candidates for governor met Tuesday in the final debate of the primary season, with President Trump’s endorsement of front-runner Jack Ciattarelli getting much of the attention.
Ciattarelli, a former assemblyman who was the Republican candidate for governor in 2021, once called Trump a “charlatan,” but a decade later, he was proud of the president’s endorsement.
“President Trump endorsed me because he knows I’m the only person that can unify our party,” Ciatarelli said during the debate, drawing loud applause. “He endorsed me because of the energy I bring to the campaign, he endorsed me because of the money we’re able to raise to deliver a win.”
Ciattarelli, former radio host Bill Spadea and state Sen. Jon Bramnick (R-Union) discussed affordability and taxes, education, crime, and immigration during the debate, hosted by the New Jersey Globe news site.
Despite their many differences, the candidates found some common ground. Each wanted to bring back the death penalty, and all supported school choice. They also all supported — although with varying degrees of enthusiasm — the assault charges brought against U.S. LaMonica McIver (D-10th), who was accused of interfering with the arrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka outside the Delaney Hall immigrant detention center.
