Trump Endorsement Looms Over New Jersey Governor’s Race

BySophia Johannson

New Jersey’s Republican gubernatorial primary has evolved into a high-stakes contest centered around a figure who doesn’t appear on the ballot: Donald Trump. As four GOP candidates jockey for position ahead of the June 10 primary, their strategies increasingly revolve around courting—or deliberately distancing themselves from—the president’s coveted endorsement in this traditionally blue state.

“Donald Trump is the X factor in this GOP primary,” said Ben Dworkin, director of the Rowan Institute for Public Policy & Citizenship, according to WHYY. “His endorsement right now could make or break, depending on to whom he gives it.”

Photo Source: JaviGhersi/DepositPhotos

Candidates Navigate Trump Factor

Jack Ciattarelli, who narrowly lost the 2021 gubernatorial race to Democrat Phil Murphy by just three percentage points, recently met with Trump at an undisclosed location. While his campaign strategist Chris Russell declined to reveal details of the meeting, he confirmed Ciattarelli would welcome Trump’s endorsement, marking a notable evolution for a candidate who has previously maintained some distance from Trump’s political orbit.

Meanwhile, conservative radio host Bill Spadea’s campaign received an unexpected boost when former state Senator Ed Durr, a vocal Trump supporter who made national headlines by defeating Democratic Senate President Steve Sweeney in 2021, dropped out of the race. Durr explicitly cited defeating “never Trumpers” as his reason for exiting, although he stopped short of formally endorsing Spadea.

“He doesn’t want to use the word endorse because he doesn’t want to get ahead of President Trump,” explained Steve Kush, Durr’s spokesperson, highlighting the deference Republican candidates are showing toward Trump’s political influence in the state.

Contrasting Approaches

Not all candidates are embracing the Trump connection. State Senator Jon Bramnick has taken a decidedly different approach, openly criticizing Trump’s pardons for January 6 Capitol riot participants. This strategy appears designed to position Bramnick for the general election in a state where Democrats maintain a significant, though shrinking, voter registration advantage of 834,000.

In contrast, Mario Kranjac, the former mayor of Englewood Cliffs and the most recent entrant into the race, is aggressively positioning himself as the most Trump-aligned candidate. “The residents and citizens and taxpayers of New Jersey need a governor with fixed values and beliefs, and that’s me — in terms of everything that I stand for and that President Trump stands for,” Kranjac told NewsLooks.

Historical Context

The Trump-centric primary represents a significant departure from previous successful Republican gubernatorial campaigns in New Jersey. The last three Republicans elected governor—Thomas Kean Sr., Christine Todd Whitman, and Chris Christie—all won consecutive terms with business-friendly, moderate conservative platforms quite different from Trump’s populist approach.

Trump, who built his brand partly as an Atlantic City casino owner and maintains ownership of a golf club in Bedminster, has a complex relationship with the state. While he improved his performance in New Jersey between 2020 and 2024, he still lost the state both times, though Republicans point to narrowing margins as evidence of shifting political winds.

General Election Implications

The winner of the Republican primary will face the victor from a six-person Democratic field in what will be one of only two gubernatorial races nationwide this year, alongside Virginia. Political analysts view these contests as important early indicators of voter sentiment during Trump’s second term.

“I think [Democrats] are missing the lesson of the 2024 election in New Jersey, which is Donald Trump did exceedingly well in New Jersey,” Russell argued, pointing to Republican registration gains that have reduced the Democratic advantage from 1 million to 834,000 voters.

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Strategic Calculations

The timing and nature of any potential Trump endorsement remains unclear. For candidates, the value of Trump’s backing represents a complex calculation—potentially decisive in a primary but possibly complicating in a general election, particularly as the impact of Trump’s second-term policies continues to evolve.

What remains certain is that even as a part-time resident, Trump’s shadow looms large over New Jersey’s gubernatorial contest. Whether through explicit endorsements or implicit positioning, the president’s influence has become the defining dynamic of the Republican primary, transforming what might otherwise be a local race into a referendum on national political allegiances.

As the June 10 primary approaches, the candidates’ Trump strategies will likely determine which Republican earns the chance to try breaking the Democrats’ hold on the governor’s mansion—and perhaps offer early clues about the electoral impact of Trump’s second-term presidency in traditionally blue states.

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