FREEHOLD – Jack Ciattarelli has been here before – like for the last four years.

Ciattarelli, who never really stopped running for governor after losing in 2021, is now officially in the 2025 race.

His candidate launch Tuesday night had all the necessary bells and whistles – a video, a jam-packed room and a historic location – the American Hotel, which reportedly lodged Abraham Lincoln in 1861.

Shaun Golden, who doubles as Monmouth County sheriff and county Republican chair, also had history on his mind, specifically the Battle of Monmouth.

“Jack is going to take it to them, just like the Revolutionary War,” Golden said.

Ciattarelli is definitely a tireless worker. He said during his 2021 campaign that he goes up and down the state “eight days a week”

That actually seems about right, given the fact Ciattarelli hardly misses a notable GOP event.

Yet, some Republicans say “Jack had his turn” and is no longer a candidate who excites.

Naturally, Ciattarelli dismissed such talk, telling reporters that many successful politicians have lost elections. He then reeled off a number of names, including Tom Kean Sr., Christie Whitman, Chris Christie and even Lincoln himself.

“I feel like I’m in good company,” he said.

The 2025 Republican race is still developing, but state Sen. Jon Bramnick already has declared and radio personality Bill Spadea is a possible, if not likely, candidate. And there could be more.

Among the three likely candidates at the moment, Spadea is the most conservative and Bramnick, an anti-Trumper, the least so. That puts Ciattarelli kind of in the middle.

This is a problem. With Republicans greatly outnumbered on the registration rolls in New Jersey, party unity seems essential.

Ciattarelli waded into this subject, noting that elections are won by addition, not subtraction or division.

He added that Republicans need:

“A candidate who can unite our party – not one who calls moderate Republicans RINOS or calls Trump supporters ‘crazies.’ ”

Ciattarelli’s analysis was spot on, but whether his candidacy can bridge the party’s ideological gap remains to be seen.

Ciattarelli was no fan of Trump during his first run for governor, but has now endorsed him. He explained that he thinks Joe Biden is “too old” for the job and that Kamala Harris is not competent to do it.

Addressing a few hundred supporters, Ciattarelli talked about many of the themes he used in 2021.

He said the state needs a better business climate, a new school funding formula and an attorney general who backs the police. He wants to cap property taxes at 1 percent of a home’s assessed value and freeze them for those over 70.

All well and good, but he has to get past the primary first.

Ciattarelli, as all who care about this stuff know, came within about four points of upsetting Phil Murphy in 2021.

Notwithstanding his close loss, Ciattarelli said 2021 was a good year for Republicans, reminding the crowd that the GOP picked up seven Legislative seats that year and won many local races.

“We won in places we hadn’t won in years, including right here in Monmouth County’s Legislative District 11.”

Fair point, but in 2023 – just five months ago, Republicans lost seats in the Legislature, including two in LD-11.

All elections are different, which, of course, gives Ciattarelli hope for 2025.