TRENTON, NJ – The New Jersey governor’s race took a sharp turn this week after Democrat Mikie Sherrill released multiple audio clips of conservative talk host Bill Spadea attacking Republican candidate Jack Ciattarelli, prompting speculation that the two are working in tandem.
It makes sense because Spadea made it clear that he will not endorse Jack Ciattarelli in November and has been delivering coordinated soundbites on the radio to help the Sherrill campaign.
That’s because he wants to run against Sherrill in 2029, and he has made it clear what his intentions are. The problem is, at this point, the Republican party will no longer want Spadea after this year, and he knows it.
For the second time in days, Sherrill’s campaign featured Spadea’s comments in new social media videos criticizing Ciattarelli’s record, drawing accusations from GOP strategists that the pair are coordinating behind the scenes.
Carlos Cruz, spokesman for the political group Change NJ, called the move “peak silly season,” arguing that Spadea’s on-air attacks on Ciattarelli amount to indirect support for Sherrill’s campaign.
“Mikie Sherrill retweeting Mikie’s Sherrill’s tweet of Bill Spadea’s praise of Mikie Sherrill is peak silly season,” Cruz said on X.
Conservative host at odds with his own party…but it’s not really his party and that’s the main point of contention for the losing candidate
Spadea, a morning radio personality who brands himself as a Republican advocate, has repeatedly criticized Ciattarelli since the primary while claiming to defend conservative values. His commentary has frustrated GOP operatives who say his rhetoric undermines the party’s nominee.
“Bill Spadea is no friend to conservatives or Republicans,” one commenter said this week on X. “He’s a self-interested glory hound seeking fame and fortune at all costs.”
Critics also pointed to Spadea’s connections to former Ocean County GOP chairman George Gilmore, a political consultant and lobbyist who has supported Democrats including James McGreevey and NJEA official Kathy Eagan in recent races.
Both Spadea and Gilmore have been accused of using ballot challenges as a campaign tactic and money maker for the wayward duo. Gilmore owns millions of dollars in unpaid taxes to the IRS after he was convicted of being a tax cheat by the Department of Justice. Destined for prison, he was saved by a last minute pardon by President Donald J. Trump.
He then went back to the only thing he knows how to do, shaking down professionals and political candidates for cash. Spadea’s relationship with Gilmore was a match made in heaven. Two men who wanted to shake down honest Americans with a false promise. Most of that money went right back into their own pockets.
Sherrill’s campaign strategy under scrutiny
By amplifying Spadea’s comments, Sherrill’s campaign has invited both attention and backlash. The clips, which feature the conservative host questioning Ciattarelli’s leadership, are being viewed as an unconventional attempt to fracture Republican support.
Change NJ says the move reflects tightening polls and rising Democratic concern over Sherrill’s standing. The group points to large ad buys from the Democratic Governors Association and heavy spending from the DNC as evidence that national Democrats are pouring unprecedented resources into New Jersey.
At this time, it is not known whether or not Sherrill is paying Spadea…or Gilmore for Spadea’s attacks on Ciattarelli.
A high-stakes fight down the stretch
Cruz noted that Sherrill’s refusal to rule out a sales tax hike remains a key issue for voters, calling her response “tone deaf” and warning that the next several weeks will bring increasingly aggressive tactics by the Democrat who is backed into a corner when it comes to policy issues.
“This is a dead heat,” Cruz said. “Desperate Democrats from D.C. to Trenton are going to get ugly.”
With 39 days left until Election Day, the state’s political airwaves are growing louder — and the alliances murkier.