President Donald Trump’s last-minute endorsement has turned New Jersey’s Republican gubernatorial primary into a high-stakes showdown.
With early voting starting June 1, 2025, Trump’s backing of Jack Ciattarelli, a former state lawmaker and certified public accountant, has reshaped the race.
Ciattarelli is running against conservative talk radio host Bill Spadea and state Sen. Jon Bramnick, Fox News reported.
The primary, set for June 8, 2025, will decide who faces a Democrat in a state where Republicans have won six of the last 11 gubernatorial races.
Ciattarelli, now in his third bid for governor, holds a polling lead and a fundraising edge, outpacing all five other GOP candidates combined.
Two weeks before early voting, Trump endorsed Ciattarelli, calling him “a true champion” during a tele-rally on May 31, 2025.
Ciattarelli, quick to capitalize, said, “It’s a really big deal.”
On May 31, 2025, Ciattarelli mingled with local GOP leaders at Trump National Golf Club-Philadelphia in Pine Hill, New Jersey.
The next day, he hit the campaign trail in Hasbrouck Heights, touting Trump’s support as proof he’s the candidate to win in November.
Yet, New Jersey’s blue lean suggests voters might not be so easily swayed by a MAGA stamp of approval.
Bill Spadea, a former businessman turned radio host, didn’t take Trump’s snub lightly, calling it “certainly disappointing.”
He argued, “The president endorsed a poll, not a plan.”
Spadea’s claim to the MAGA mantle, built on his conservative talk show’s massive audience, shows he’s not ready to cede the populist crown.
His campaign has leaned hard into grassroots momentum, knocking on over 3,000 doors weekly after Trump’s endorsement of Ciattarelli.
“Our supporters are galvanized,” Spadea said, boasting a surge in low-dollar donations.
Sounds like he’s turning a slight into a rallying cry—smart move in a primary where every vote counts.
Ciattarelli’s fundraising haul has let him dominate primary advertising, blanketing airwaves with his message.
“He knows we’re going to raise the necessary money,” Ciattarelli said, tying his cash flow to Trump’s confidence in his November chances.
Money talks, but voters decide, and Ciattarelli’s ad blitz might not drown out Spadea’s hustle.
Spadea, not to be outdone, claimed to have outspent Ciattarelli on ads in the final two weeks before June 1, 2025.
Campaigning at a Somerville street fair and chatting in downtown Princeton, he’s betting his radio fame—reaching a third of Democrats, a third of independents, and a third of Republicans—can pull crossover support.
That’s a bold pitch in a GOP primary, where purity tests often trump pragmatism.
WATCH:
The Democratic Governors Association has gleefully dubbed this a “MAGA battle,” framing the primary as a race to the right.
Ciattarelli and Spadea’s months-long tussle over who’s the truer Trump disciple proves their point.
But in a state where Gov. Phil Murphy’s term limit opens the door, Republicans might regret letting ideology overshadow electability.
Trump’s influence isn’t just talk—he held a massive rally in Wildwood, New Jersey, on May 11, 2024, showing his pull.
Ciattarelli praised Trump’s policies, like halting offshore wind farms and pushing for higher SALT deductions, saying, “Those are big deals to New Jersey.”
Tying himself to Trump’s agenda might energize the base, but it risks alienating moderates in a general election.
Spadea, meanwhile, insists Trump’s endorsement misfired.
“Almost every Trump supporter thinks that Donald Trump made a huge mistake,” he claimed, arguing his common-sense conservatism resonates more.
Ciattarelli’s 2021 loss to Murphy by just three points shows he can come close, but close doesn’t cut it.
“We were the spark that lit the fuse in ’21,” he said, eyeing a Republican upset in 2025.
Yet, his dismissal of other endorsements in 2021—“There’s only one endorsement I seek, and that’s the voters”—suggests he knows Trump’s nod alone won’t seal the deal.
New Jersey and Virginia are the only states with gubernatorial races in 2025, making this primary a national bellwether.
Ciattarelli’s confidence—“The country is watching”—reflects the stakes in a state where Republicans have a fighting chance.
Spadea’s radio platform gives him a unique edge, claiming, “I’m the only candidate who can pull in Democrats and independents.”
His prediction—“We’re going to win”—is brash, but his grassroots surge shows he’s not bluffing.
Still, banking on crossover appeal in a primary risks diluting his GOP bona fides.
As early voting unfolds, Ciattarelli’s lead in polls and cash keeps him ahead, but Spadea’s tenacity and Bramnick’s quiet campaign keep the race tight.
Trump’s endorsement has set the stage for a primary where loyalty to his brand is as crucial as policy.
New Jersey’s GOP voters will decide if MAGA fervor trumps electability—or if both can coexist.
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