GARFIELD - Jack Ciattarelli likes to say he'll campaign anywhere - even in Democratic areas like Newark and Paterson.

Sometimes, the local picture even changes.

That's the case in this Bergen County town where Democratic Mayor Everett E. Garnto, Jr. is slated to endorse Ciattarelli at a rally in the city on Thursday evening. An announcement from the Ciattarelli for governor campaign boasts that Garnto is the second Democratic mayor to back the Republican over Democratic Candidate Mikie Sherrill. It says the other Dem mayor to do so is James Dodd of Dover.

A city of about 32,000, Garfield comes across as one of those traditional blue collar towns that one may expect to be Democratic.

These days, however, those areas are trending Republican while more affluent suburbs are becoming more Democratic.

In 2021, Ciattarelli lost Garfield to Phil Murphy by about 150 votes.

Things turned around last year when Donald Trump won Garfield by about 900.

Judging from those results, the mayor is on safe ground politically.

Of course, there always is the question of impact. Candidates love endorsements from the other party, but you do have to wonder what it means. Will the mayor's public backing mean more votes for "Team Jack"

in Garfield?

As for Dodd, Ciattarelli is paying a lot of attention to Dover, a mostly-Latino community that is in the western edge of Sherrill's 11th congressional district.

Ciattarelli visited Dover the day after he won the primary and was there again a few days ago.

Dodd has had a rocky relationship with Morris County Democrats.

He ran for re-election as an independent in 2019 after the county organization did not endorse him, losing narrowly to Democrat Carolyn Blackman, In 2023, Dodd ran again - this time as a Democrat - and he won the primary in a 3-person race. He returned to the mayor's chair in January, 2024.

Dodd endorsed Chris Christie's reelection in 2013, so there is precedent for him bucking his own party.