At a “Hispanos Con Jack” rally at the Bonfire Restaurant in Paterson Thursday evening, Latino Republican officials and supporters from around the state gathered to cheer on gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli. An expanding Hispanic base of support in the Republican party, one attendee told Insider NJ, would be key for future Republican electoral victories, given the demographic changes in the state.

Insider NJ also spoke with Hudson County Republican Chairman Jose Arango, who came to show his support for the party nominee. “Jack is New Jersey,” he said. “He understands the state of New Jersey and he understands the Hispanic community. Hispanics know that he is the only guy that can create stability for the Spanish community not because he's a Republican or Democrat, but he's a guy that is New Jerseyan. He understands that we have to include everybody, we can have our differences, but he's the only one talking directly to the Hispanic community, not now that he wants to run for governor. He has been talking to the Hispanic community since he was a freeholder, a county commissioner.”

Arango said that Ciattarelli “has the pulse of what the urban areas need” and described him as “an urban guy.” He praised his family’s background in construction and the restaurant business, his grandfather being an immigrant from Italy, a key part of Ciattarelli’s campaign speeches as he seeks to connect with working-class voters. “He understands what we need in the Hispanic community, in the Black community, the Italian community, Jewish community—he's an inclusion guy. Since [Governor] Tom Kean, we haven't had somebody like this.”

With President Trump now polling at record lows on the economy since he took office again, a Quinnipiac Poll placed Jack Ciattarelli trailing Democratic nominee Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill by six points. Democrats have tried to link Ciattarelli to the president, with the Republican claiming that Sherrill is inauthentic, vague, and harps on Trump too much.

With Trump declaring that the $16 billion Gateway Tunnel Project is “terminated,” New Jersey political leaders have roared. The infrastructure project is key to modernizing, improving, and enhancing the safety of a century-plus old corridor that is crucial for one of the largest economic centers in the world.

Insider NJ asked Ciattarelli if he thought he could get the president to change his mind, should he win the election. “Absolutely,” he replied, without elaborating.

Arango had more to say on the matter. “I think Jack Ciattarelli is going to be a bridge between Democrats, Republicans, independents, and Donald Trump would respect him. You don't resolve anything saying that Donald Trump is a bad guy. You can like or dislike him, but at the end of the day, [Trump] is there for three years, and you're going to be here for four, so if you don't have the cooperation of Washington for the next three years, you're not going to accomplish anything. If Jack Ciattarelli is the governor, we will have a comprehensive immigration reform, and we will have no crisis with ICE, or anybody, because he knows how to handle the White House.”

The Hudson chairman rejected the idea that the president was serious about ending the Gateway Tunnel project. “No, I don't think it's dead. What is dead is blackmailing the American people. The Democrats don't have anything else to do but create crisis because they haven't created anything else. Jack was open, saying, ‘I will talk to the president to make sure that happens’.”

When long-reigning Democratic North Bergen Mayor Nick Sacco endorsed Jack Ciattarelli on October 9, shockwaves rippled through Hudson county. “North Bergen needs leadership that listens and delivers - and I trust Jack to do what’s right for our residents and for the future of our state,” Sacco said in a statement.

Arango said that Sacco’s endorsement was a sign that Jack had a message that resonated where Sherrill did not. Current polling would suggest otherwise, but it is nevertheless notable that Sacco is not the only Democrat to defect. Garfield Mayor Everett E. Garnto switched parties to Republican and endorsed Ciattarelli in September. Garfield went to Trump in 2024, and Garnto himself said he voted for the former president. Dover Mayor Jim Dodd, who has had a rocky past with the Democratic party and had backed Chris Christie 12 years ago, also endorsed Ciattarelli. Dover is about three-quarters Hispanic, 51% foreign-born, and is within Mikie Sherrill’s 11th Congressional District.

Arango said of Sherrill, “She is a nice person, but she doesn’t know the pulse of the state.” He dismissed the idea that she could connect with urban voters, emphasizing that Jack can be a unifier who could work with Trump. “We don't know what Sherrill's message is, other than she's a pilot, she's a mom, and she doesn't like Donald Trump. There are a lot of people who don’t like Donald Trump, but we have to deal with him for the next three years. She hasn’t said what she’s going to do for the state, only that she's going to freeze the utility bills. You can't trust the people who created a crisis to resolve the crisis.”