Ciattarelli Wins GOP Nomination In 2021 NJ Gov. Race, AP Projects

NEW JERSEY - The Associated Press has projected that Jack Ciattarelli will gain the Republican nomination for New Jersey governor in the 2021 general election (see vote totals below).

The GOP candidate garnered 49.07 percent of the vote in the Garden State during the June 8 primary election.

Ciattarelli has largely been considered the Republican frontrunner as he gained endorsements from all 21 county GOP organizations and served as the only Republican running for governor that was eligible for public matching funds. The former 16th Legislative District Assemblyman previously ran for governor in 2017 and has focused his 2021 campaign largely on attacking Gov. Phil Murphy, his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and emphasizing economic recovery to get his name on the November ballot.

"Tonight New Jerseyans showed they are ready for a change, and we are just getting started," he said in a statement. "The fact is, after four years of Murphy's failed leadership, our state is struggling. New Jersey pays the highest property taxes in the nation. Small businesses have been decimated. 8,000 seniors and veterans died. New Jerseyans from Cape May to High Point have been forgotten and ignored. We need a governor who puts New Jersey first. A governor who will listen to and respect everyone, even those who may disagree.

"This campaign is not going to be easy. Murphy will seek to divide us and he will do everything possible to distract you from his failed record. Here is my message for New Jersey tonight: come hell or high water, we will make New Jersey more affordable by lowering property taxes. We will create jobs. We will bring Main Street small businesses back to life. We will reduce the size and cost of government. New Jersey, we can do better. When I'm governor, we will."

Throughout the primacy race, his opponents - namely Hirsh V. Singh - have painted Ciattarelli as a moderate candidate compared to Singh’s pro-Trump views.

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In fact, the primary election served as an important barometer for Republican voters in New Jersey. As Fox News reported, Patrick Murray, a polling director of the Garden State-based Monmouth University Polling Institute, said the primary is a “key indication of how strong the Trump wing of the party is in New Jersey, where the moderate of image of Republicans has really been the key to their success in the past statewide." Results may indicate "whether the old-guard moderate Republican Party of New Jersey still holds sway."

On the Democrat side, Murphy ran unopposed on Tuesday as the four hopeful Democratic challengers who filed to run against the incumbent failed to meet the requirements to run this year. Read more: Murphy May Be Unopposed In Primary As 2 Tossed From Race

"I’m honored and humbled that my fellow Democrats have once again put their faith in me to serve as their nominee for governor of New Jersey. Together, through a broad coalition of New Jerseyans from all backgrounds, we showed unity and strength in our shared goal of moving New Jersey forward," Murphy said in a statement.

"Over the last three-plus years, we've made tremendous progress to build a stronger, fairer, and more resilient state not just for today, but for generations to come.

“The choice in November is clear. We can either keep New Jersey moving forward or go backward. It’s a choice between standing for higher wages or going back to an economy that only worked for the wealthy and well-connected. It’s a choice to defend reproductive rights under threat from the U.S. Supreme Court or put political ideology over health care. It’s a choice to make education better and more affordable, from pre-K to college, or a state that only works for the few and not for all.

“I’m confident that voters will choose facts and our shared values over divisive rhetoric and the failed ways of the past that worked for too few and left too many behind.”

Ciattarelli’s uphill battle begins now, experts say. The Garden State touts roughly 1 million more Democratic voters than Republican according to Fox News, with President Biden sweeping the state by 17 points during the 2020 general election.

Per NJ.com, Murphy currently leads Ciattarelli by 26 percentage points in a Rutgers-Eagleton Poll released Tuesday, with 52 percent of registered voters favoring Murphy.

"Jack Ciattarelli is exactly the kind of fighter Garden Staters need to get the state headed in the right direction again," said Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, Chairman of the Republican Governors Association, in a statement. "After years of ineffective tax and spend policies from Phil Murphy, I know Jack will work hard to make it once again easily achievable for New Jersey families, senior citizens and small businesses to prosper. I would like to congratulate Jack on his primary victory, and the RGA looks forward to working with him to defeat Governor Murphy this fall."

Here’s how each Republican candidate fared at the polls on June 8:

2759 of 6348 Precincts Reporting

Jack Ciattarelli: 74,958 votes (49.07%)

Hirsh V. Singh: 34,197 votes (25.41%)

Philip Rizzo: 38,814 votes (25.41%)

Brian D. Levine: 4,796 votes (3.14%)

Previous race coverage:

• Trump Endorsement Of Me In NJ Gov's Race Is Fake, Singh Says
• NJ GOP Governor Debate Cancelled Over COVID Testing Cooperation