The New Jersey Republican Primary for Governor has mostly been a face-off between frontrunner Jack Ciattarelli, who is running for his third time, and conservative radio host Bill Spadea, who has been polling behind Ciattarelli but ahead of the other candidates. There has been speculation for months now on which candidate President Donald Trump would endorse in the race, if he made an endorsement at all.
On Monday night in a Truth Social post, Trump released his long-awaited endorsement. In a surprise to some, the President is backing Ciattarelli over Spadea in the primary.
This comes as a shock to Spadea fans. The right-wing radio personality has been a Trump supporter since 2016. Ciattarelli, on the other hand, has flipped back and forth between being a Trump-critical conservative in the 2021 and 2017 elections, and a MAGA faithful today. Spadea voters cite Ciattarelli’s willingness to play both sides of the conservative coin as a negative. The two candidates have clashed over this too.
In a debate between Republican Primary candidates last week, other conservative Gubernatorial hopefuls like Jon Bramnick and Mario Kranjac were often overshadowed by the animated feuds between Ciattarelli and Spadea.
In 2015, as a moderate Lawmaker in Trenton, Ciattarelli called Trump “not fit” to be President. In 2021, he softened his language surrounding the then ex-President, but crucially did not seek his endorsement. However, in his third bid for Governor, Ciattarelli was sure to vocally support the President early on—something Spadea has criticized as a move made solely because of Trump’s support among Garden State conservatives.
Spadea’s biggest strength among NJ conservatives has been his full-throated support of Trump since he announced his intention to seek the Presidency back in 2015. “Since the escalator,” as one Spadea television ad puts it.
Last year, Trump appeared on Spadea’s show on 101.5-FM, where he praised Spadea for his longtime support and made vague, but unnamed, criticisms of who many speculated was Ciattarelli.
Despite this, Trump has still decided to endorse Ciattarelli over Spadea. The move has baffled many and left supporters of each divided in many instances. Spadea supporters took to social media to criticize Trump for the endorsement.
One reply reads: “That’s horrible. Oh President Trump you done us wrong. Jack has never been a friend of MAGA. Bill Spadea all the way. I’m voting Spadea regardless of your endorsement.”
Another supporter writes: “Sorry you got this one wrong. Jack is a two time loser. I thought you would have stayed out of the NJ primary until after June. This is dissapointing. #BillSpadeaForNJGov.”
Others simply replied with the hashtag: “#NeverJack”
Spadea is now a longshot at winning the Primary, but the real mystery comes down to how this fares for Ciattarelli in November. In 2021, he narrowly lost to incumbent Phil Murphy in an election that many saw as a referendum on the Biden Administration. However, without the full support of Spadea’s base—and dwindling approval of President Trump—November could prove to be a tough race for Ciattarelli.
The New Jersey Digest is a new jersey magazine that has chronicled daily life in the Garden State for over 10 years.