As the polls continue to show a consistent lead for Mikie Sherrill, especially in areas like trust, affordability and energy, the GOP nominee, Jack Ciattarelli, needs a bold move in order to mobilize and exceed the expected turnout among Trump supporters and conservative voters.
He’s already showing more enthusiasm among GOP voters than the democratic nominee is showing among liberal voters.
That’s a good start but if he’s going to avoid a repeat of 2021, there are only 15 days to get the job done and close the gap.
AP Photo/Noah K. Murray
AP Photo/Noah K. Murray
Last week, we gave him good advice on deploying his lieutenant governor candidate, Sheriff Jim Gannon, to Morris County, and he seems that’s exactly what the campaign is doing. Smart.
As far as the second idea of announcing his attorney general, specifically state Sen. Mike Testa, we’ll see if he takes the good advice. Clearly, Jack needs to do a lot more in the final two weeks.
Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Trump Rally or Tele-Town Hall? GOP’s Most Powerful Weapon on Mute
Now we are hearing that President Trump, who endorsed the GOP candidate, is being relegated to a tele-town hall — essentially a conference call with voters.
Say it ain’t so, Jack!
Nothing says “please stay away so you don’t embarrass me” than a conference call instead of a rally. Nobody in the Republican Party has the strength or the ability to motivate and mobilize hundreds of thousands of enthusiastic supporters better than President Donald Trump.
Remember Wildwood? Both times?
Capacity crowds, topping 100k in May of 2024. If the GOP has a shot, it requires all hands on deck, and that means turnout.
Nobody wants a repeat of 2021, except Mikie Sherril, of course, where the GOP nominee, also Jack, refused President Trump’s help while the Virginia GOP candidate Glenn Youngkin embraced it down the stretch.
In Virginia, Youngkin won big in ’21 where 6 in 10 Virginians turned out to vote. In Jersey, Jack lost by nearly 90,000 votes and 6 in 10 New Jersey voters stayed home.
ALSO SEE: Ciattarelli’s roadmap to victory: Announce the attorney general pick right now
Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Why Trump Could Be the Key to Turning Out New Jersey Voters
Jack needs to own his relationship with the President and get him into the state to pump up the vote. The President needs to be on the ground in Jersey for a real rally to push for the turnout needed to win.
Let’s not ignore the fact that the president is fresh off one of the most significant victories of any president in decades, a peace deal between Hamas and Israel.
Both sides of the conflict are represented among New Jersey voters. Relatives of people killed in Gaza as well as relatives of those taken on the murderous day of Oct. 7 two years ago, are in the Garden State. It’s rare that two sides of such a hostile and contentious issue could come together to Praise President Trump for brokering the peace.
Even Trump’s former rival, Joe Biden, weighed in to congratulate Trump on the accomplishment.
The rally itself will speak to unity, not just among Republicans, but to those voters in the middle who find common ground with Republicans on achieving peace and the release of hostages.
Let’s hope that the reports are not true and Jack is not keeping President Trump at arm’s length because he’s afraid to disagree with him on certain issues and knows that the cancellation of funding for the Gateway Tunnel is a hot topic.
I hope that Jack understands that President Trump is an asset, not a liability, when it comes to motivating hesitant Republicans who are saying that they’ll ‘hold their nose’ and vote for the “lesser of two evils.”
ALSO SEE: How Ciattarelli can smash Sherrill’s momentum and win the NJ election
AP Photo/Noah K. Murray
AP Photo/Noah K. Murray
Will Ciattarelli repeat 2021 mistakes or embrace Trump?
Let’s hope that Jack understands he can’t hide President Trump behind a conference call. He can’t hope that he gets the benefit of the president’s charisma, charm and energy while trying to hide the fact that he now supports him.
The president is not someone who cowers from anyone, let alone the press and the Democratic campaign operatives.
He says he’s all in with Trump, and let’s face it, the President is the reason he won the primary in the first place, now he owes it to the GOP to embrace the president in a very big way and have a rally to maximize turnout.
The Democrats have already run the ads attacking Jack for being 100% MAGA and refusing to challenge the President on ANY issue.
He’s already paid the political price for his primary endorsement; now he needs to run into it and get the benefit of the greatest turnout machine in the past 45 years.
Make the call, Jack, and embrace President Trump at a rally in the Garden State before it’s too late.
How N.J. voted in the 2024 presidential election
Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris won New Jersey’s 14 Electoral College votes but her performance against Republican former President Donald Trump trailed President Biden’s victory in 2020. Below is a county-by-county breakdown.
Gallery Credit: New Jersey 101.5
The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Spadea. Any opinions expressed are Bill’s own.
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