ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. — Former Englewood Cliffs Mayor Mario Kranjac has sharply criticized a proposed change to New Jersey’s State Committee election process, calling it a “total anti-Trump, anti-MAGA scam” designed to sideline pro-Trump conservatives within the state’s Republican Party.
Kranjac, a staunch Trump supporter and GOP gubernatorial candidate, took to X, formerly Twitter, to denounce the reported plan to remove State Committee elections from the Republican primary ballot.
“Every Republican legislator, county chairman, and gubernatorial candidate should oppose it,” he wrote. “If it passes, I’ll repeal it as governor.”
The proposal, which is reportedly being added to a ballot design bill, would shift the selection of State Committee members away from a direct vote by Republican primary voters. Kranjac argues that the move would consolidate power among party leaders loyal to former Gov. Chris Christie, whom he accuses of working against the MAGA movement.
“It was less than a year ago that anti-Trump county chairmen rigged the Primary ballot to nominate a radical pro-abortion, anti-Trump Senate candidate,” Kranjac said. “Now they could have the power to choose State Committee members and ultimately a new state chairman who will be beholden to Chris Christie. This scheme must be stopped dead in its tracks.”
Kranjac, who brands himself as the only Trump-aligned Republican in New Jersey’s 2025 governor’s race, has built his campaign around challenging the party establishment and advocating for what he calls “America First” principles.
He previously served as mayor of Englewood Cliffs after defeating a longtime Democratic stronghold in 2016.
The proposed election change adds to an ongoing battle between establishment Republicans and Trump-aligned conservatives, with Kranjac positioning himself as a leading voice against what he sees as an effort to control the party’s future.
