In a state long written off as Democrat territory, Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli is doing the unthinkable — bringing the fight straight into the bluest corners of New Jersey and turning heads while he’s at it.
On Sunday, Ciattarelli spent the day in North Hudson County, the political heart of New Jersey’s Democrat machine, shaking hands, making mozzarella at a local Italian deli, and marching proudly in the Hispanic State Parade. This isn’t some token appearance — it’s part of a full-court press to win over working-class Hispanic voters who are tired of sky-high taxes, unsafe streets, and politicians who care more about New York donors than New Jersey families.
At Cuomo & Sons Imported Italian Delicacies in North Bergen, Ciattarelli picked up endorsements from town commissioner Allen Pascual, who recently left the Democrat Party, and former West New York Mayor Sal Vega. That’s right — local Democrats are flipping red. Ciattarelli’s message of affordability, public safety, and common sense is breaking through even in areas once thought politically untouchable.
Then, in a scene that must’ve made the Democrat establishment squirm, Ciattarelli marched down Bergenline Avenue — the beating heart of Hudson County’s Hispanic community. For decades, this stretch of tightly packed neighborhoods has been ruled by Democrat machines dating back to the Frank Hague era. But times are changing. As Woodcliff Lake Mayor Carlos Rendo put it, “Jack has momentum. We’re seeing traditional Democrat areas buying into Jack’s message. Jack is going to turn New Jersey red.”
The math backs him up. A new Emerson College/PIX11/The Hill poll shows Ciattarelli and Democrat candidate Rep. Mikie Sherrill deadlocked at 43 percent, with 11 percent undecided. Even worse for Democrats, more Republicans than Democrats have already returned early voting ballots — a sign that the GOP base is energized, organized, and ready to finish what it started in 2021.
Sherrill, meanwhile, has been struggling. The Virginia-born congresswoman has tried to reinvent herself as a Jersey progressive, but her far-left views play better in the cocktail circuits of Montclair than in the small businesses and parish halls of Union City. And the timing couldn’t be worse for her campaign — she’s been hit with damaging headlines about being barred from her Naval Academy graduation for alleged ties to a cheating scandal and accused of political hypocrisy after voting to condemn the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, only to smear him afterward.
While Sherrill stumbles, Ciattarelli is building coalitions. His campaign has been everywhere — at every Hispanic cultural parade in the state — actually talking to people about real issues. As New Jersey GOP Executive Director Kennith Gonzalez told Breitbart News, “While Mikie Sherrill talks in platitudes and tells long stories, Jack is the only candidate talking to the Hispanic community about lowering property taxes, cutting electricity bills, improving public schools, and keeping neighborhoods safe.”
It’s no accident that these are the same voters who helped deliver record Hispanic gains for President Trump in towns like North Bergen, West New York, and Union City. Ciattarelli is picking up that baton — and Democrats know it.
Even inside the Democratic machine, there’s turmoil. The feud between Union City Mayor Brian Stack and far-left Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop has split the party wide open. Fulop’s failed gubernatorial ambitions and bitter infighting have left voters disillusioned, creating an opening for Ciattarelli to reach voters who once reflexively voted blue.
In contrast, Ciattarelli’s campaign radiates authenticity — a Jersey-born Republican who talks like one of the people because he is one of the people. No D.C. elitism, no woke slogans, no condescension — just straight talk about making New Jersey affordable and safe again.
As Early Vote Action’s Scott Presler pointed out, the path to victory is clear: “Six hundred thousand Republicans stayed home in 2021. The election was decided by 84,000 votes. If gun owners and conservatives get out and vote, New Jersey would be a red state.”
Jack Ciattarelli is proving that even in a place as blue as Hudson County, there’s a hunger for change — and that the right message, backed by hard work and conviction, can pierce through decades of machine politics.
This isn’t just another campaign stop. It’s a warning shot to Democrats everywhere: no state is safe when Republicans show up ready to fight for every vote.
