Days before new jersey gop governor primary election trump makes endorsement

Days before New Jersey GOP governor primary election Trump makes endorsement

by
June 5, 2021
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It’s just days before the June 8th Republican primary election for New Jersey Governor and former U.S. President Donald J. Trump has made an endorsement. The question of who the president supports prior to the election has been on the minds of many voters and the three candidates vying for his endorsement.

Related: Phil Rizzo lives tax-free in a $1.6 million estate paid for by a tiny Hoboken Church…wants to be Governor

Three candidates are in the running for Trump’s endorsement, but it has been troubled waters to navigate for the President. The GOP-sponsored candidate Jack Ciattarelli would be the obvious choice in such an important election. He has the money, he has the party line in every county, but there’s one thing that seems to be keeping Trump away from Ciattarelli.

Ciattarelli doesn’t like the former President and he and everyone else knows it. Ciattarelli has had harsh words for the president, calling him “unfit to be president” and last week when given the opportunity to redeem himself in the eyes of the Trump campaign, Ciattarelli would not utter the words, “I support former President Trump” in a New Jersey 101.5 debate.

Related: Murphy, Ciattarelli bromance blossoms as Gov asks assemblyman to join bi-partisan support for Capitol uprising investigation

His opponent, Hirsh Singh has gone all-in with Trump since day one and from Trump’s loyalty perspective, Singh would be the obvious choice. In fact, the man who coined the slogan “Make America Great Again”, Brad Parscale, who served as Trump’s campaign manager in 2016 is managing Singh’s campaign. Singh is running a strong grassroots conservative campaign. Despite Jack Ciattarelli spending $4,000,000 in taxpayer funds compared to Singh’s $500,00 self-funded and small donor-funded campaign.

Then there’s Jersey Rizzo. He would also make a decent case for Trump’s support, but alas, he too was against Trump in 2016 and we all know how the former President feels about that. The one problem with Rizzo is that he’s probably not going to win and it’s not in Trump’s interest to back somebody who has no shot to win.

Then on Thursday, Trump made an endorsement. Except it wasn’t for Governor of New Jersey, it was for Congress in North Carolina. He endorsed a 2022 candidate, Virginia Foxx, but apparently has decided to keep his hands clean in the 2021 Republican primary for governor.

Related: Top Jersey Democrat Steve Sweeney: Hirsh Singh is Donald Trump on steroids

Does Trump know something we don’t? We all know the former President feels about losers and maybe Trump sees the writing on the wall in November. Picking a loser in New Jersey is not in his best interest for a re-election bid in 2024. It’s an important race in New Jersey as it’s one of only three governorships in the country up for grabs in 2021.

Trump has close ties with Governor Phil Murphy. The two had a great relationship while Trump was in office and maybe, Trump figures the math in New Jersey is written in stone. Democrats far outnumber Republicans. It will be very hard for a Republican to defeat Murphy in November and considering the GOP fracture growing each day with mudslinging, personal attacks, and more, it’s going to be an insurmountable task for either of these men running to reunite the party.

In March, Trump sent a clear message to the establishment Republican party.

“Stop using my name and stop sending checks to fake Republicans,” Trump said.

The Republican party in New Jersey is split nearly as badly as the Democrat and Republican parties are split. There are truly two entrenched factions in the state…the establishment, which Ciattarelli represents who have their hands in the taxpayer till and are running on a campaign of survival. Then there are the unaffiliated conservatives. They are led by Hirsh Singh. They want to rid New Jersey of the old guard, “Good Old Boys” like Ciattarelli who has been involved in swamp politics for over 33 years.

Related: Letter: Is Phil Rizzo trying to throw the June 8th primary election for Jack Ciattarelli?

The two sides are unlikely to see eye to eye regardless of who wins on Tuesday. It could just be that Trump knows that and other than playing a few rounds of golf in Bedminster this summer, he wants no part of the clusterf-ck that has become the New Jersey Republican Party.

Or…maybe he’ll surprises all with one of his infamous last-minute ‘had to do it’ endorsements…but don’t hold your breath. We reached out to the Trump team about this, but did not receive any answers.

“Thank you for your inquiry. Our staff is currently reviewing your request,” a automated response read. “Due to the volume of similar demands, we will respond only if we require additional information or if there is an opportunity for President Donald J. Trump to participate.”

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Phil Stilton
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Phil Stilton is the Editor and Publisher of Shore News Network, an independent digital newsroom providing original reporting on New Jersey, national news, government, public policy, public safety, courts, and community affairs.

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With extensive experience covering municipal government, county government, state legislatures, elections, law enforcement, emergency management, and public records, Stilton specializes in translating complex government actions into clear, factual reporting. His work frequently relies on primary source documents, including court filings, legislation, public meeting records, election finance disclosures, government databases, police reports, and Freedom of Information and Open Public Records Act (OPRA) requests. He has reported extensively on local government accountability, taxpayer spending, campaign finance, public corruption investigations, infrastructure, public safety, and the policies affecting New Jersey residents.

Under Stilton's editorial leadership, Shore News Network has grown into one of New Jersey's largest independent digital news organizations, publishing thousands of original news articles each year while providing breaking news coverage, investigative reporting, and analysis across state and local government. The publication's reporting is routinely sourced from official government agencies, public officials, court records, and firsthand documentation, with a commitment to transparency, attribution, corrections when warranted, and clearly distinguishing factual reporting from opinion.

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