Report: Trump to Stage Tele-fundraisers for Ciatttarelli

VIA AXIOS:

President Trump plans to throw the weight of his endorsement and his allies' fundraising behind Jack Ciattarelli, the GOP nominee for New Jersey governor in next month's elections, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: Polls show the underdog Ciattarelli running competitively against Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill in New Jersey, a blue state where a Ciattarelli upset would represent a major win for the Trump White House.

  • The winner will replace Gov. Phil Murphy (D), who's been in office since 2018 and is limited to two terms.

The big picture: Statewide elections in New Jersey and Virginia on Nov. 4 will offer a glimpse of the voters' attitudes 10 months into Trump's second term.

Zoom in: Trump is planning on hosting tele-rallies for Ciattarelli, in which he will address supporters by phone. Meanwhile, allies and surrogates to the president are helping to raise millions of dollars for a pro-Ciattarelli super PAC, according to a person familiar with the discussions.

 

Democrats promptly pounced on the news:

Today, Donald Trump announced he will campaign for “100% MAGA” Jack Ciattarelli ahead of November’s gubernatorial election. The Ciattarelli campaign’s decision to have Trump campaign in a state Trump lost three times — and at a time when poll after poll shows his approval rating is tanking — is yet another sign that they are getting desperate.

In New Jersey alone, Trump’s approval rating is a paltry 35% in a recent Civiqs poll. A major reason New Jerseyans disapprove of Trump is due to his deeply unpopular Big Ugly Bill, which causes 390,000 New Jersey families to lose their health insurance and raises their energy bills by hundreds of dollars.

A reminder: In the key moment of last week’s debate, Jack Ciattarelli gave Trump an “A” grade: “I certainly give the president an ‘A.’ I think he’s right about everything that he’s doing.”

Mikie Sherrill gave Trump an “F” grade.

In response, DNC Deputy Communications Abhi Rahman released the following statement:

“Jack Ciattarelli is clearly desperate. He’s scared he is going to lose big in November, which is why he is campaigning with Donald Trump at a time when his approval rating is tanking. After Jack gave Trump an ‘A’ grade last week despite the fact that Trump’s Big Ugly Bill kicks thousands of New Jersey families off their health insurance and raises their energy bills by hundreds of dollars, it’s clear that this election comes down to one major truth: Jack is 100% for Trump, while Mikie Sherrill is 100% for New Jersey. New Jerseyans deserve a governor who will lower their costs on Day One — and that leader is Mikie.”

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