TOMS RIVER – At a Republican screening of the GOP candidates for governor tonight, Ocean County Republican Committee Chairman George Gilmore commanded the podium in front of the packed room in the Clarion Hotel, and immediately jabbed at the notion that Republicans can’t win in New Jersey 2017.

“I remember something being said last year during the presidential election,” he said. “That Donald Trump couldn’t win. He even stole our campaign manager, Bill Stepien.”

Then Gilmore smacked at Democratic front-runner Phil Murphy, the retired Goldman Sachs executive.

“Mr. Murphy had the audacity today to compare Donald Trump to Hitler,” said the chairman. “Now you may not like him but to compare him to Hitler – killing 6 million Jews – I think that sets the tone for the upcoming campaign.”