ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. — Former New Jersey 101.5 radio shock jock Bill Spadea is back in court this week in a second attempt to remove his opponent from the ballot in June.
It’s sort of like what Democrats tried to do last year to Donald Trump, except this time, it’s a self-proclaimed pro-Trump candidate engaging in the lawfare.
He’s now appealing a judge’s decision to keep Trump lovin’ mayor Mario Kranjac off the ballot in the June GOP primary.
“Spadea has turned into the Adam Schiff of NJ by waging Lawfare against us,” Kranjac wrote. “He’s trying to kick me off the ballot because I’m the biggest threat to the corrupt establishment.”
Just two days after a New Jersey judge rejected his first attempt to block rival Mario Kranjac from the Republican gubernatorial primary ballot, conservative radio host Bill Spadea filed a second lawsuit on Thursday aiming to remove the Trump-aligned candidate from the June 10 contest.
Key Points
- Bill Spadea has filed a second lawsuit to disqualify GOP rival Mario Kranjac from the New Jersey primary ballot.
- A previous court ruling earlier this week denied Spadea’s initial challenge against Kranjac’s petitions.
- Kranjac claims Spadea is targeting him due to his threat to the “corrupt establishment.”
The new legal filing comes after Administrative Law Judge Carl Buck III ruled Wednesday that Kranjac had met the state’s 2,500-signature requirement for ballot access, despite Spadea’s allegations of fraud and voter ineligibility. The decision allowed Kranjac to remain in the race pending final approval by Secretary of State Tahesha Way.
Spadea wasn’t coming after me; he was coming after you. I was just in the way.
Spadea’s latest lawsuit has not yet been made public, but Kranjac confirmed the filing in a series of posts on X, formerly Twitter. “Bill Spadea is suing me again TODAY to try to kick us off the ballot again!” he wrote. In a separate post, he accused Spadea of “waging Lawfare” against him, comparing the tactic to efforts used against former President Donald Trump.
“Spadea has turned into the Adam Schiff of NJ by waging Lawfare against us,” Kranjac wrote. “He’s trying to kick me off the ballot because I’m the biggest threat to the corrupt establishment.”
The renewed legal push signals that Spadea, who left his morning radio show in January to run for governor, remains committed to removing a key MAGA-aligned opponent from the race. Kranjac, the former mayor of Englewood Cliffs, has positioned himself as a staunch Trump loyalist and has accused Spadea of attempting to disenfranchise vulnerable voters.
Kranjac previously claimed Spadea’s campaign tried to disqualify more than 1,200 signatures, including those from people with disabilities and mothers with children. “Bill tried to disenfranchise 1,258 of my signers,” he said Wednesday.
In the initial court case, Spadea’s attorneys had alleged that Kranjac’s petitions included forged signatures, ineligible voters, and even one deceased individual. The judge acknowledged some irregularities but found they were not sufficient to invalidate Kranjac’s candidacy.
With the new lawsuit, the legal fight over the GOP primary ballot continues to escalate, adding further turbulence to a field that includes former Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli and State Sen. Jon Bramnick.
Spadea doubles down on legal fight as GOP primary showdown intensifies in New Jersey.
