The internet this week has been buzzing with rumors about who establishment New Jersey GOP candidate Jack Ciattarelli will pick for his Lieutenant Governor. While many names have been circulating the Twitterspace including Ocean County Commission Virginia Haines and New Jersey Assemblyman John Bramnick, one rumor is sending chills down the spines of Republicans on both sides of the aisle. Conservative and establishment Republicans both have noted that the rumor of former Lt. Governor Christie Todd Whitman serving under Ciattarelli is both cringeworthy and unlikely.
While Ciattarelli hasn’t addressed the rumor directly, many of his supporters are saying it’s nothing but a rumor. Ciattarelli has not indicated who he will choose for Lt. Governor. Other more palatable choices include New Jersey Senator Michael Testa and perhaps former GOP chairman Doug Steinhardt.
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A recent poll out of Ocean County shows Ciattarelli running neck and neck with Trump-supporting conservative candidate Hirsh Singh. An internal poll last month by former Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale showed Singh ahead of Ciattarelli by 2%.
To the establishment Republican sect in New Jersey, Ciattarelli is the candidate they feel that has the best chance to beat Phil Murphy in November, but Singh brings the Trump factor to the table as he has been holding full-house rallies and winning over die-hard Trump supporters that have shunned Ciattarelli for his past comments against the former president, including calling Trump, “A charlatan who is unfit to be President of the United States.”
Related: Murphy opponent Singh says pardons for anyone convicted of non-violent COVID-19 offenses
