Jack Ciattarelli, the Republican nominee for governor in New Jersey, speaks to supporters at a diner in Saddle Brook, N.J. on Oct. 15, 2025. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
In what may be a low-turnout election where getting base voters to the polls will be crucial, the hope is that the tele-rally with the president, and the recent campaign trail stops by high-profile Trump allies Vivek Ramaswamy and Rep. Byron Donalds, will energize MAGA supporters, many of whom are low propensity voters who often skip casting ballots in non-presidential election years.
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Trump, taking to social media earlier this week, touted that Ciattarelli "is doing very well in the Polls" and urged his supporters in the Garden State to "VOTE FOR JACK CIATTARELLI — HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!"
The president has good reason to be optimistic about Ciattarelli's chances.
Rep. Mikie Sherrill, the Democratic Party's gubernatorial nominee in New Jersey, holds a news conference at a commuter rail station in Secaucus, N.J., on Oct. 16, 2025. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
And this year, they're being viewed, in part, as ballot-box referendums on Trump's unprecedented and explosive second-term agenda.
While Democrats have long dominated federal and state legislative elections in blue-leaning New Jersey, Republicans are very competitive in gubernatorial contests, winning five out of the past 10 elections.
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And Trump made major gains in New Jersey in last year's presidential election, losing the state by only six percentage points, a vast improvement over his 16-point deficit four years earlier.
Ciattarelli, a one-time certified public accountant who started a medical publishing company before getting into politics and winning election as a state lawmaker, landed Trump's endorsement earlier this year, in the GOP gubernatorial nomination race. And the president headlined a tele-rally for Ciattarelli ahead of the June primary. Trump's backing helped Ciattarelli cruise to an easy and convincing primary victory in a nomination race that centered on support for the president.
"There's obviously a whole lot of people across the state of New Jersey that are pleased with the job the president's doing," Ciattarelli told Fox News Digital last week.
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While Trump isn't on the ballot, he's loomed large over the New Jersey gubernatorial election.
At this month's second and final debate, Sherrill charged that her GOP rival had "shown zero signs of standing up to this president. In fact, the president himself called Jack 100% MAGA, and he's shown every sign of being that."
New Jersey Republican gubernatorial nominee Jack Ciattarelli, left, is joined by GOP Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida at a diner in Linden, N.J. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News )
With the race headed towards a possible photo-finish, both candidates are playing up the positives.
"Our polling's looking good. I think we're feeling really good right now," Sherrill touted as she spoke with Fox News Digital.
Sherrill, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate who flew helicopters during her military service and who was first elected to Congress in 2018, added that "we're seeing great returns on the vote by mails. We'll start early voting the 25th, which we're really excited about. We're seeing a ton of energy on the ground," she told Fox News.
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And she highlighted that her campaign has "the biggest volunteer field program that anyone in New Jersey has ever run… We are getting the right doors, and I'm really excited about what we're gonna see."
Ciattarelli, points to the energy among his supporters and the crowds he seeing on the campaign trail. And he added at a stop this week that "when you have the endorsement of Democratic mayors across the state, it says people want change. That's exactly what we're going to deliver when we win this race."
Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in the swing state of New Hampshire. He covers the campaign trail from coast to coast."
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-parachutes-key-2025-race-gop-aims-flip-governor-office-blue-leaning-state