Jack Ciattarelli seemingly still can’t decide who won the 2020 election. Or at least, his position on the legitimacy of the election changes depending on who asks.
Following the election, Ciattarelli at first appeared, like many New Jerseyans, to have doubts about the true outcome of the 2020 election. He even spoke at a “Stop the Steal” rally in Bedminster, gathering with other Republicans to protest the unprecedented changes to election laws implemented by governors in some cases just weeks before the election. For the moment, it seemed like Ciattarelli shared the opinion of most New Jersey Republicans about the election.
Related: Here’s the video Jack Ciattarelli doesn’t want Trump supporters to watch
But then, just weeks later, Ciattarelli went on the notably liberal-leaning New Jersey Globe Power Hour radio program and said that “Joe Biden is our President, and he was elected fairly and squarely.”
Also during the radio interview, where he appeared just after Democrat Representative Mikie Sherrill, Ciattarelli chalked up voter anger about the 2020 election to President Trump’s defeat being “just very, very hard to take.”
These must have hardly been easy words to hear for many Republicans who had gathered shoulder to shoulder with Ciattarelli just weeks before at the Bedminster rally.
This may seem like an amazing about face, but not when you consider Ciattarelli’s history of political opportunism and anti-Trump statements. Ciattarelli refused to vote for President Trump in 2016, calling him a “charlatan” and “unfit to lead.” Even after Trump won the Republican nomination and then the presidency, Ciattarelli still refused to support him.
Related: NJ GOP Candidate for Governor, Trump Antagonist Jack Ciattarelli Welcomes Joe Biden with Open Arms
But then came the 2020 election where, even with suspicious changes to voting laws, President Trump garnered 1.9 million votes in the Garden State. Immediately recognizing Trump’s overwhelming popularity with New Jersey conservatives, Ciattarelli began quietly hiding his past anti-Trump statements in preparation for his upcoming run for governor in 2021.
It’s easy to understand how Ciattarelli feels torn when it comes to the issue of the 2020 election. Like most establishment, career politician Republicans, he detests President Trump and would rather the Party return its pre-2016 identity as the party of big banks and corporate America. But Ciattarelli is also a political opportunist, and it’s clear to see how popular Trump is with Republican voters in New Jersey. So while Ciattarelli might still despise President Trump and look down on his supporters, he likely feels the need to feign loyalty to President Trump, at least to get him through the primary.
Unashamedly pro-Trump candidates like Hirsh Singh, who has maintained throughout the campaign that the election was stolen from President Trump, will likely look to capitalize on Ciattarelli’s history of conflicting statements as the race enters its final stretch. While it’s still a neck and neck contest according to the most recent polls, the outcome could be a major indicator for what the future of the Republican Party will be on a national level.
Jack Ciattarelli seemingly still can’t decide who won the 2020 election. Or at least, his position on the legitimacy of the election changes depending on who asks.
Following the election, Ciattarelli at first appeared, like many New Jerseyans, to have doubts about the true outcome of the 2020 election. He even spoke at a “Stop the Steal” rally in Bedminster, gathering with other Republicans to protest the unprecedented changes to election laws implemented by governors in some cases just weeks before the election. For the moment, it seemed like Ciattarelli shared the opinion of most New Jersey Republicans about the election.
But then, just weeks later, Ciattarelli went on the notably liberal-leaning New Jersey Globe Power Hour radio program and said that “Joe Biden is our President, and he was elected fairly and squarely.” Also during the radio interview, where he appeared just after Democrat Representative Mikie Sherrill, Ciattarelli chalked up voter anger about the 2020 election to President Trump’s defeat being “just very, very hard to take.” These must have hardly been easy words to hear for many Republicans who had gathered shoulder to shoulder with Ciattarelli just weeks before at the Bedminster rally.
This may seem like an amazing about face, but not when you consider Ciattarelli’s history of political opportunism and anti-Trump statements. Ciattarelli refused to vote for President Trump in 2016, calling him a “charlatan” and “unfit to lead.” Even after Trump won the Republican nomination and then the presidency, Ciattarelli still refused to support him.
But then came the 2020 election where, even with suspicious changes to voting laws, President Trump garnered 1.9 million votes in the Garden State. Immediately recognizing Trump’s overwhelming popularity with New Jersey conservatives, Ciattarelli began quietly hiding his past anti-Trump statements in preparation for his upcoming run for governor in 2021.
It’s easy to understand how Ciattarelli feels torn when it comes to the issue of the 2020 election. Like most establishment, career politician Republicans, he detests President Trump and would rather the Party return its pre-2016 identity as the party of big banks and corporate America. But Ciattarelli is also a political opportunist, and it’s clear to see how popular Trump is with Republican voters in New Jersey. So while Ciattarelli might still despise President Trump and look down on his supporters, he likely feels the need to feign loyalty to President Trump, at least to get him through the primary.
Unashamedly pro-Trump candidates like Hirsh Singh, who has maintained throughout the campaign that the election was stolen from President Trump, will likely look to capitalize on Ciattarelli’s history of conflicting statements as the race enters its final stretch. While it’s still a neck and neck contest according to the most recent polls, the outcome could be a major indicator for what the future of the Republican Party will be on a national level.
Jack Ciattarelli seemingly still can’t decide who won the 2020 election. Or at least, his position on the legitimacy of the election changes depending on who asks.
Following the election, Ciattarelli at first appeared, like many New Jerseyans, to have doubts about the true outcome of the 2020 election. He even spoke at a “Stop the Steal” rally in Bedminster, gathering with other Republicans to protest the unprecedented changes to election laws implemented by governors in some cases just weeks before the election. For the moment, it seemed like Ciattarelli shared the opinion of most New Jersey Republicans about the election.
But then, just weeks later, Ciattarelli went on the notably liberal-leaning New Jersey Globe Power Hour radio program and said that “Joe Biden is our President, and he was elected fairly and squarely.” Also during the radio interview, where he appeared just after Democrat Representative Mikie Sherrill, Ciattarelli chalked up voter anger about the 2020 election to President Trump’s defeat being “just very, very hard to take.” These must have hardly been easy words to hear for many Republicans who had gathered shoulder to shoulder with Ciattarelli just weeks before at the Bedminster rally.
This may seem like an amazing about face, but not when you consider Ciattarelli’s history of political opportunism and anti-Trump statements. Ciattarelli refused to vote for President Trump in 2016, calling him a “charlatan” and “unfit to lead.” Even after Trump won the Republican nomination and then the presidency, Ciattarelli still refused to support him.
But then came the 2020 election where, even with suspicious changes to voting laws, President Trump garnered 1.9 million votes in the Garden State. Immediately recognizing Trump’s overwhelming popularity with New Jersey conservatives, Ciattarelli began quietly hiding his past anti-Trump statements in preparation for his upcoming run for governor in 2021.
It’s easy to understand how Ciattarelli feels torn when it comes to the issue of the 2020 election. Like most establishment, career politician Republicans, he detests President Trump and would rather the Party return its pre-2016 identity as the party of big banks and corporate America. But Ciattarelli is also a political opportunist, and it’s clear to see how popular Trump is with Republican voters in New Jersey. So while Ciattarelli might still despise President Trump and look down on his supporters, he likely feels the need to feign loyalty to President Trump, at least to get him through the primary.
Unashamedly pro-Trump candidates like Hirsh Singh, who has maintained throughout the campaign that the election was stolen from President Trump, will likely look to capitalize on Ciattarelli’s history of conflicting statements as the race enters its final stretch. While it’s still a neck and neck contest according to the most recent polls, the outcome could be a major indicator for what the future of the Republican Party will be on a national level.
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