Trump aims to boost Republican power in a blue state, denouncing the Democratic candidate as “fake and corrupt.”
Trump urged New Jersey voters on Friday night to reject the blue state’s Democratic candidate, Mickey Sherrill, in next month’s gubernatorial election. He then called the party’s rival a “fake, corrupt, radical leftist Democrat” who is leading New Jersey into a “death spiral.”
Hours before his trip to Asia, Trump endorsed Republican candidate Jack Ciatarelli in a televised rally and said he would campaign for him after the trip.
Politico also noted that Trump’s efforts to sway voters in New Jersey (a state that has long been a Democratic and blue state) toward the Republican candidate and increase his party’s influence and power come at a time when his own approval ratings in the eastern state are below the national average. For this reason, experts believe that Trump’s presence in Ciatarelli’s campaign will do more harm than good to the Republican figure.
This is Ciattarelli’s third attempt to run for governor of New Jersey. He lost to Democratic candidate Phil Murphy by three percentage points in the 2021 election.
Meanwhile, Trump has focused on New Jersey’s energy costs, questioning Sherrill’s promises to stop the rise in energy costs and even mocking her name.
“Mickey, as they call him, all he has is his weird name,” Trump said. “His energy policies are making prices even more astronomical and making New Jersey even more expensive than it already is.”
In response, Sherrill responded to Trump’s taunts, saying, “No wonder Ciattarelli, once a fierce critic of Trump, is now silent on him and giving the president an A.”
Cheryl then pointed to the removal of health insurance for hundreds of thousands of New Jerseyans and how the president’s trade tariffs have raised the cost of living in the state. Ciattarelli, the Democratic candidate, said he had kept quiet in the face of Trump for fear of losing his support.