Trump Throws His Weight Into New Jersey Politics
The political calculus in New Jersey’s governor’s race shifted overnight after former President Donald Trump made a bold endorsement: Jack Ciattarelli, the former state assemblyman and 2021 GOP gubernatorial nominee, is now Trump’s official pick to challenge Democrats in this reliably blue state. The announcement, made via Trump’s Truth Social platform and enthusiastically trumpeted by local and national conservative media, might seem a mere formality given Ciattarelli’s frontrunner status in the Republican primary. But it represents far more than a simple rubber stamp from the right’s most polarizing figure.
New Jersey typically runs deep blue. Democrats have occupied the governor’s mansion since 2018, and the state hasn’t voted Republican in a presidential contest since 1988. Yet the proximity of the 2021 gubernatorial race – where Ciattarelli nearly toppled incumbent Phil Murphy, losing by just three points – signaled a simmering discontent, especially among the state’s suburban and working-class voters. Trump’s endorsement signals a calculated gamble: that his “America First” brand, divisive as it is, can galvanize enough of these swing voters to turn New Jersey’s political winds.
Inside the Republican camp, the endorsement effectively ends any real competition. Bill Spadea and John Bramnick had vied for the former president’s favor, but the magnetic pull of Trump’s approval—dubbed by some as “the most coveted prize in GOP politics”—has typically proven impossible for rivals to overcome. As Tom Moran of The Star-Ledger noted this week, “Trump’s imprimatur has been the ultimate decider in Republican primaries from Pennsylvania to Nevada.” Here in New Jersey, it all but seals Ciattarelli’s nomination for the June 10 primary.
What Does a Trump-Backed Ciattarelli Mean?
A closer look reveals how dramatically New Jersey’s political center could be tested in 2025. Ciattarelli’s past campaigns painted him as a moderate, at times even criticizing Trump’s inflammatory rhetoric and polarizing policies. That, however, is now history. In his acceptance statement, Ciattarelli proclaimed himself “truly humbled and honored” by Trump’s “complete and total endorsement,” promising fierce allegiance to the ‘America First’ agenda—border security, slashing taxes, and rolling back regulations foremost among them.
Trump himself was effusive, calling Ciattarelli “100% (PLUS!) committed to MAGA.” In touting Ciattarelli’s commitment to harsh border security, cutting state taxes, and defending the Second Amendment, the former president also invoked his own “record setting” success in allegedly securing the Southern Border—playing to New Jersey conservatives’ anxieties about both economic precarity and demographic change.
“There’s no daylight in this alliance—Ciattarelli has chosen to embrace MAGA orthodoxy in a state where Trumpism remains controversial, even toxic, to broad swathes of the electorate. The real question is: will New Jersey’s suburban moderates see this as pragmatic adaptation or political capitulation?”
Not all Republicans are celebrating. Critics within the party, including Ciattarelli’s vanquished primary opponents, warn that a candidate bound to Trump’s worldview could alienate the moderate and independent voters critical to any GOP victory. As Rutgers political scientist Saladin Ambar observed, “To win statewide, the Republican nominee has to thread an impossible needle—keeping the MAGA base energized without making the rest of New Jersey recoil.” Ciattarelli’s previous near-miss in a non-presidential year now runs up against Trump’s declining favorability in the state, especially among college-educated and suburban women.
Yet, despite these misgivings, Trump’s improved showing in parts of New Jersey during the 2024 election—he narrowed margins but still lost by over 15 points to Biden—gives the GOP a patch of hope, especially as economic issues and public safety dominate local headlines. The endorsement cements the race as a nationalized contest, with culture war themes sure to be as prevalent as pocketbook issues.
Liberal Values at Stake in the Garden State
Beyond that, the stakes are real for New Jersey’s progressive legacy. Under Governor Murphy, the state has led on reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ protections, minimum wage increases, and clean energy investments. A Ciattarelli administration—backed by Trump—would represent not merely a change of party, but a rejection of this steady progress in favor of conservative rollback across civil rights, climate policy, and social justice.
One only needs to look at the aftermath in other states where Trump-endorsed candidates have won office: rollback of environmental protections, book bans, attacks on voting rights, and demonization of immigrants. Consider Virginia’s shift under Glenn Youngkin, which led to the targeting of diversity initiatives and reproductive healthcare. Or Texas and Florida, where “America First” governance has meant real harm for marginalized communities and efforts to combat the climate crisis. Are New Jersey families ready to accept that same fate?
According to Emily Appleton of the New Jersey Policy Perspective, “We’ve seen the devastating impacts when culture wars take precedence over real solutions on affordability, healthcare access, and policing. New Jersey voters tend to reject extremism—just look at our record.” Indeed, Pew Research surveys underscore that most New Jerseyans support abortion rights, expanded gun safety laws, and affirmative action—all anathema to the MAGA platform.
The November 2025 general election, one of only two gubernatorial contests that year nationwide, will take place against a backdrop of deepening polarization. Democrats are preparing for a sustained fight, turning the contest into a referendum on Trumpism itself. The outcome could serve as a harbinger for the future of American pluralism in the face of rising authoritarian impulses. Will New Jersey stand as a bulwark of progressive achievement—or be swept up in the red tide that Trump and Ciattarelli hope to unleash?
