BLOOMFIELD — The Mikie Sherrill for Governor campaign launched a new website that shows how Jack Ciattarelli has turned his back on New Jersey time and again. The site shines a spotlight on Trump-endorsed, “100% MAGA” Jack, who jacked up New Jerseyans’ taxes, made $3 million from the pharmaceutical companies that fueled the opioid addiction crisis, and sold out the shore after Superstorm Sandy.
“Jack has made absolutely clear that he’s not for Jersey -- he’s for Trump, no matter the cost. And his record as a career politician is damning: he voted to raise taxes at every level of government, voted against Sandy relief three times, and will join MAGA in defunding Planned Parenthood. And he made millions peddling opioid misinformation into our communities, fueling an addiction crisis that has cost lives and livelihoods. New Jersey can't afford Jack Ciattarelli,” said campaign manager Alex Ball.
New Jersey Globe: Dems launch anti-Ciattarelli tour, starting outside a former Trump building in Jersey City
The New Jersey Democratic State Committee kicked off its statewide “Jack’s Not for Jersey” press tour today outside the former Trump Plaza Residences at 88 Morgan Street in Jersey City.
With the Trump name long since removed from the luxury high-rise, Democrats suggested the location was a symbolic starting point for what they called a critical campaign to expose Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli’s alignment with former President Donald Trump’s policies.
The state party’s latest effort aims to draw sharp contrasts between Democratic priorities and what they argue is Ciattarelli’s track record of supporting Trump-era economic and social policies — ones they claim have hurt working families, public schools, and New Jersey’s affordability.
“Jack recently said in an interview, ‘I support the president wholeheartedly, and my job is to help him,’” said Rep. Robert J. Menendez (D-Jersey City). “I believe that the next governor of New Jersey’s ‘job’ is not to help President Trump, it’s to help every single resident of New Jersey… The president that time and time again puts billionaires over the hardworking men and women who power our state every single day: That is who Jack Ciattarelli is about.”
Democrats also unveiled a new microsite, Jack’s Not for Jersey.
Martinique Costa, President of Laborers Local 55 in Newark, underscored the financial toll she believes Ciattarelli’s support for Trump’s policies continues to have on working families.
“What we’re seeing is an affordability crisis,” Costa said. “Trump’s tariffs, which Jack Ciattarelli backs, are costing New Jersey families an average of $2,400 a year. Now while we’re seeing this play out: Everyone knows that a trip to the grocery store now is not what it was when we get to check out a year ago. Costs are increasing for everything,” said Costa. “We need to elect someone who will stand up for labor and invest in working families – I’m proud to be supporting Mikie Sherrill for governor.”
The press tour, which make stops across the state over the coming weeks featuring voices from a range of communities – educators, healthcare providers, union members, small business owners, and parents – all spotlighting how they say Ciattarelli’s record and Trump-aligned agenda would impact their lives.
Among them is Lissa Santiago, a 30-year Jersey City public school teacher. Santiago criticized Ciattarelli’s education stance, especially in light of Trump’s efforts to reduce federal oversight and funding in public schools.
“New Jersey residents need a governor dedicated to investing in public schools, ensuring that every child has access to a quality education that prepares them for a successful future,” Santiago stated. “However, as Trump stated, Jack Ciattarelli is ‘100% MAGA,’ which includes his stance on education. Jack has supported Trump’s push to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education… if that federal funding were to be cut, local school districts in this state will need to raise taxes by a billion to cover those costs.”
New Jersey Democrats are continuing to use President Donald Trump as a boogeyman as they look to boost Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill’s gubernatorial bid against Republican Jack Ciattarelli.
Standing in front of the building formerly known as Trump Plaza in Jersey City on Tuesday, Rep. Rob Menendez was flanked by union leader Martinique Costa, and Lissa Santiago, an educator, for the New Jersey Democratic State Committee’s first stop in its statewide tour dubbed “Jack’s Not for Jersey.” Menendez chided Ciattarelli for his support of Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, echoing a line of messaging Sherrill has also used.
“In seven months, Trump has already failed New Jersey, and Jack is tied to all of those failures because he would support every single one,” Menendez said. “That’s going to be on the ballot in November.”
Sherrill and her allies have consistently tied Ciattarelli to the president, with the hope that Trump’s negative approval rating in the state and repeated warnings about how his policies could impact the economy will drag Ciattarelli down.
