Ciattarelli welcomes Trump help in New Jersey gubernatorial race

Bayonne, New Jersey – With less than three weeks until Election Day in New Jersey, Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli says he’s looking for a helping hand from the president. Donald Trump.

“There are obviously a lot of people across the state of New Jersey who are happy with the job the president is doing,” Ciattarelli said Wednesday in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital.

Ciattarelli’s comments came as a new public poll indicated the two-time GOP candidate in the Garden State is closing the gap with Rep. Mickey Sherrill, his Democratic rival for governor in the race to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy.

With the clock ticking towards election day, Multiple sources have confirmed to Fox News that Trump will hold phone rallies with Ciattarelli before Election Day.

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Jack Ciattarelli, Republican candidate for governor of New Jersey, is interviewed by Fox News Digital on October 15, 2025, in Bayonne, New Jersey. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)

Trump’s collaboration with Chiattarelli will likely help energize the GOP’s MAGA base, many of whom are low-propensity voters who often skip casting ballots in non-presidential election years.

In what is expected to be a low-turnout election, Trump’s help could be crucial for Schiatarelli, who is making his third attempt for governor and came close four years ago to upsetting Murphy.

New Jersey Virginia is the only two states that face off for governor in the year following a presidential election, and the contests traditionally attract significant attention and are seen as political barometers ahead of the following year’s midterm elections.

This year, they are largely viewed as ballot box referendums on Trump’s unprecedented agenda for his second term.

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Pointing to the president’s push to temporarily halt wind farms off the Jersey Shore, his pledge to kill congestion pricing in New York, tax cuts, rebates and credits in the GOP’s massive domestic policy action, and his efforts to secure the nation’s southern border, Ciattarelli said people are “very pleased with the president, and what he’s done for New Jersey.”

Trump endorsed Ciattarelli earlier this year, in Republican Party nomination race for governor. The president led a telephone rally for Ciattarelli ahead of the June primary.

President Donald Trump, seen speaking during a campaign rally at Wildwood Beach in Wildwood, New Jersey, on May 11, 2024, will chair a rally by call for Jack Ciattarelli, the 2025 Republican candidate for governor of the Garden State. (Hannah Beier/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The new poll from Quinnipiac UniversitySherrill, a four-term federal representative, a Naval Academy graduate who piloted helicopters during her military career, and a former federal prosecutor, indicated she had 50 percent support among likely voters.

Ciattarelli, a former state legislator and certified public accountant who founded a medical publishing company before entering politics and winning election as a state legislator, received 44% support in the Oct. 9-13 poll.

Click here for the latest Fox News poll

Sherrill’s 6-point lead in the new poll is down from her 8-point lead in the September Quinnipiac poll.

The poll indicated Ciattarelli had a slight lead in enthusiasm among voters, but Sherrill was viewed more favorably.

New Jersey Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rep. Mickey Sherrill, right, and Republican candidate Jack Ciattarelli, pose on stage moments at the start of their second and final debate, on October 8, 2025, in New Brunswick, New Jersey. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News Digital)

While Trump is not on the ballot, he looms large over New Jersey’s gubernatorial election.

In the second and final debate last week, Sherrill accused her GOP rival of “showing no signs of standing up to this president. In fact, the president himself has described Jack as 100% MAGA, and he has shown every sign of being one.”

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Asked if he considered himself part of the MAGA movement, Ciattarelli said he was “part of the New Jersey movement.”

When asked to rate the president’s performance so far during his second term, Chiattarelli said, “I would definitely give the president an A. I think he’s right about everything he does.”

Rep. Mickey Sherrill, Democratic candidate for governor of New Jersey, takes questions from reporters after a debate on October 8, 2025, in New Brunswick, New Jersey. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)

“I think this tells us everything we need to know about who supports Jack Ciattarelli. I give him an F right now,” Cheryl replied, noting the high cost of living in New Jersey.

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While Democrats have long dominated federal and state elections in blue-leaning New Jersey, Republicans are fiercely competitive in gubernatorial contests, winning five of the past 10 elections.

Trump made significant gains in New Jersey in last year’s presidential election, losing the state by just 6 percentage points, a significant improvement over his 16-point deficit four years ago.

Ciattarelli said in an interview with Fox News Digital last month that he was “really pleased that the White House has offered to help us in any way we see fit,” and that he and his campaign are “in constant communication with the White House about different ways they can help.”

While there is no indication, yet, that Trump will join Chiattarelli in person in New Jersey, campaign strategist Chris Russell told Fox News: “We appreciate all the help we’ve received from the president and his team so far, and are grateful for any support they provide along the way.”

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But the Democratic National Committee (DNC), in a statement after Axios first reported on Trump’s teleconference rally, claimed Ciattarelli was “desperate.”

“It’s clear that this election is coming down to one key fact: Jack is 100% for Trump, while Mikie Sherrill is 100% for New Jersey,” Abhi Rahman, deputy communications director for the Democratic National Committee, said in a statement.