Republican Jack Ciattarelli, who had President Donald Trump's endorsement, and Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill won their primary elections in New Jersey's race for governor, setting the stage for a November election, poised to be fought in part over affordability and the president's policies.
Sherrill emerged from a crowded field of five experienced rivals on the strength of her biography as a Navy pilot and former prosecutor who has been a vocal critic of Trump.
In a victory speech, she criticized Ciattarelli as a “lackey” of the president's, invoked New Jersey's role in the American Revolution and hinted at the state's role as one of just two holding a race for governor a year after the presidential election.
“New Jersey once again stands at the front lines," she said. “We are in an American crisis, but not in a war for independence but a fight for our future.”
Ciattarelli, a former state lawmaker and small businessman, defeated four rivals. He now heads into the general election seeking to win back the governorship for Republicans after two straight Democratic victories and hoping to build on his 2021 performance when he came within a few percentage points of defeating the current governor, Democrat Phil Murphy,
Speaking to supporters after his victory Tuesday night, he thanked Trump for endorsing him, telling the crowd “we won because we were positive, we had the issues that matter.”
The crowd loudly booed when he mentioned Murphy and Sherrill, calling her “Phil Murphy 2.0.”
Sherrill defeated a fellow House member, the mayors of the state’s two biggest cities, a former top state legislator and the head of the influential teacher’s union.
The general election will undoubtedly cover New Jersey issues, like the high cost of living and sky high property taxes. But it also sets up a clear test for the president, a part-time resident with a long history in New Jersey, who waded into the contest on Ciattarelli’s side and was assailed by Sherrill throughout the primary campaign.
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