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TOTOWA, N.J. — It was a surprise family reunion on Monday for New Jersey Republican nominee Jack Ciattarelli, on the eve of the state's crucial election for governor.
Speaking to supporters packed into a tavern in this northern New Jersey borough at his first campaign event of the day, Ciattarelli was interrupted by Peter Murphy, the owner of the bar, a longtime friend and supporter and the Passaic County GOP chairman, who introduced a special guest.
Ciattarelli appeared shocked when his son Jake, an Army captain deployed to Kuwait, then walked over to him.
The GOP nominee, who has narrowed the gap with Democratic rival Rep. Mikie Sherrill in a very competitive and combustible race to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, put his hand to his head in a sign of disbelief.
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As the two men hugged, the crowd of supporters broke out into cheers of "USA, USA, USA."
Ciattarelli, looking towards Murphy and the crowd moments later, said, "Let me guess. You called the president yesterday. He sent over Air Force One to Kuwait. They picked up Jake. If I know the young man, he’ll probably be on a plane this afternoon back to Kuwait to defend our country."
And Ciattarelli added, "What he probably forgot to do since he’s been so busy defending our nation. He probably forgot to get in his vote-by-mail ballot. He’s here to vote.
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Ciattarelli later told Fox News Digital he was "truly surprised. I didn’t have a clue. Didn’t have a clue. Magnificent thrill."
New Jersey and Virginia are the only two states to hold gubernatorial contests the year after a presidential election, and the two contests typically receive outsized national attention. The elections are also seen as a key barometer ahead of next year's midterms, when the GOP will be defending its slim House and Senate majorities.
This year's elections are also seen as the first major ballot box test of President Donald Trump's unprecedented agenda.
While Democrats have long dominated federal and state legislative elections in New Jersey, Republicans have been very competitive in gubernatorial contests, winning five out of the previous ten elections.
And Trump made major gains in New Jersey in last year's presidential election, losing the state by only six percentage points, a huge improvement over his 16-point deficit four years earlier. And while Democrats still outnumber Republicans in the Garden State, the GOP has made significant voter registration gains since Ciattarelli came close to upsetting Murphy four years ago.
Trump headlined a tele-rally for Ciattarelli a week and a half ago, on the eve of early voting. And he is scheduled to headline another tele-rally for Ciattarelli on Monday night, on Election Eve. The purpose of the tele-rallies is to help energize MAGA supporters, many of whom are low-propensity voters who often skip casting ballots in non-presidential election years.
"We appreciate what the president is doing to get the base excited, and remind them that they got to vote, as do all New Jerseyans. The future of our state hangs in the balance. Get out and vote," Ciattarelli told Fox News Digital.
But the president's approval and favorable ratings remain underwater in blue-leaning New Jersey, and Sherrill has repeatedly linked Ciattarelli to Trump, and argued the GOP nominee won't stand up to the president.
At last month's second and final debate, Sherrill charged that her GOP rival had "shown zero signs of standing up to this president. In fact, the president himself called Jack 100 percent MAGA, and he's shown every sign of being that."
But Ciattarelli has pushed back, and told reporters on Monday that "the people of New Jersey know who I am. I will fiercely defend the 9 million citizens of this state every day of this week."
And Ciattarelli is running as the change candidate, as he points to eight years of Murphy as governor and nearly 25 year of Democratic control of the state legislature.
"It’s all about property taxes, it’s all about monthly electricity bills, it’s about public safety, public education, overdevelopment. Those are New Jersey issues that my opponent wants to blame on the president. He’s got nothing to do with any of those things. It has everything to do with her party, which has controlled Trenton for the last 25 years," he argued.
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