TRENTON, NJ – Across America and in New Jersey, Republicans are celebrating sweeping victories against the far left the progressive agendas of President Joe Biden and governors like New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy.
If you remember, there was a regular skit on Sesame Street, “One of these things is not like the others. One of these things doesn’t belong. Can you tell which candidate is not like the others?”
All of those election winners from Tuesday, including many down-ballot Republicans, have one thing in common. They all openly embraced and acknowledged the Trump factor. Jack Ciattarelli, who happens to also be the only big election loser on Tuesday nationwide did not embrace Trump.
In fact, Ciattarelli worked his entire campaign to distance himself from President Trump. It all started when Ciattarelli called the former President a charlatan.
“[Trump] is not fit to be our President,” Ciattarelli said when Trump first ran for office. He later blamed the January 6th incident at the U.S. Capitol on Trump and discredited the President’s election claims as nonsense.
“Joe Biden won the presidency,” Ciattarelli said. “Trump campaign and the Trump team filed 62 lawsuits around this country regarding voter fraud and voter irregularity, two of those cases made their way to the Supreme Court which has a majority of Trump appointments [Fact Check: This claim is false. Trump appointed just 3 members to the 9 member Supreme Court] and both of those decisions went against the Trump team. Joe Biden is our President.”
Ciattarelli’s campaign was backed by a cast of former Trump naysayers. His main media source, Save Jersey, operated by lawyer Matt Rooney also has a history of anti-Trump sentiment. Rooney once called for Trump supporters to be thrown over the President’s border wall.
Republicans across New Jersey reveled in their down-ballot victories Tuesday night, but Ciattarelli lost the main event, suggesting many Trump supporters simply didn’t cast a vote for either Murphy or Ciattarelli on Tuesday. Or even worse, casting a vote for Phil Murphy as punishment for Ciattarelli’s ignoring Trump’s base and downplaying his role in a 2020 “Stop the Steal” rally event. Ciattarelli later said he didn’t know the event was a “Stop the Steal” rally.
In his final debate with Phil Murphy, Ciattarelli said he didn’t need Donald Trump to win his election. Maybe he was wrong, because at the end of the day Ciattarelli is the only major Republican candidate sitting today with an L in loser’s column and as Trump once said, “Winners aren’t losers”.
Trump never endorsed Ciattarelli, but he never publicly spoke against him either despite his record of attacks against Trump. In this past election, Trump’s endorsements went 4-0 in the polls.
Each Time Jack Ciattarelli went against Donald Trump
Ciattarelli has also confirmed that he did not vote for Donald Trump in the 2016 election.
“Enter Donald Trump. Instead of providing the kind of leadership that appeals to the better angels of our nature in calling us to meaningful and just action, Mr. Trump preys upon our worst instincts and fears. On important issues, he is a charlatan who is out of step with American values. He is a celebrity in his own political reality TV show. He is a Republican who is out of step with the Party of Lincoln.”
JACK CIATTARELLI
Jack Ciattarelli said Trump was an embarrassment to our country and not fit to be President of the United States.
“Sitting silently and allowing him to embarrass our country is unacceptable,” Ciattarelli said. “He is not fit to be president of the United States.”
JACK CIATTARELLI
In December 2015, Ciattarelli condemned Trump as a “charlatan” who was “out of step with the Party of Lincoln” and embarrassing the nation. Ciattarelli would then go even further, bluntly saying Trump “preys upon our worst instincts and fears” and that “sitting silently and allowing him to embarrass our country is unacceptable. He is not fit to be President of the United States.”
GARDEN STATE TIMES
Jack Ciattarelli Once Called Trump ‘Not Fit to be President,’ Refused to Vote for Him. Now? He’s Just Another #MAGA Republican Hypocrite.
INSIDER NJ