New Jersey’s Ciattarelli, GOP Candidate for Governor, Offers Contrast to Mamdani

“As Mamdani Surges,” the headline of a New York Sun editorial asked on Wednesday, “Where Is the GOP?” The paper lamented the lack of a “party, or candidate, pushing an agenda of lower taxes, stronger growth, limited government, educational excellence, and rule of law.”Well, meet the New Jersey gubernatorial candidate, Jack Ciattarelli, who is prescribing Republican cures for New York City’s crisis. By addressing fears that a Democratic assemblyman, Zohran Mamdani, will bring “lawlessness and chaos” to Broadway, Mr. Ciattarelli is drawing a cross-river contrast for America. While Gotham’s Republicans have failed to mount a response to Mr. Mamdani’s win, Mr. Ciattarelli called it “proof that the modern Democratic Party has lost its mind.” He invited any worried neighbors to — as the New York Tribune’s so-called editor, Horace Greeley, once put it — “Go west.”The editor of the New York Tribune, Horace Greeley. Via Wikimedia CommonsMr. Ciattarelli invited “all the residents and business owners … who don’t want a socialist, defund-the-police, antisemitic mayor representing them … to move to New Jersey.” He promised to “transform” his state “into a beacon of commonsense, affordability, economic opportunity, and law and order.”In a series of X posts on Wednesday, Mr. Ciattarelli carried forward his offensive. He said that as governor, he’d “be proactive in protecting our state from the lawlessness and chaos that will ensue if @ZohranKMamdani becomes NYC’s next mayor.”Mr. Ciattarelli wrote that “NJ Democrats,” which includes his opponent, Congresswoman Rebecca “Mikie” Sherrill, “roll over to their extreme far-left base.” But he’d “take action to protect New Jersey” from that fate.“While @ZohranKMamdani and his far-left allies push socialist handouts paid for with massive tax increases on working people,” Mr. Ciattarelli wrote, he offered another path to prosperity. He pledged to “overhaul” the Garden State’s “tax system — lowering and capping property taxes, reducing income & biz taxes” to make living there “affordable.”Representative Mikie Sherrill on February 13, 2024, at Washington, and a former state assemblyman, Jack Ciattarelli, on February 4, 2025, at Rider University, Lawrenceville, New Jersey. AP/Mariam Zuhaib, Mike CataliniMr. Ciattarelli’s proposals dismissed as unworkable the list of proposed gifts that carried Mr. Mamdani to victory. He promised everything from a rent freeze and government-run grocery stores to free bus fares, all paid for by hiking taxes on corporations and city’s top earners.The wealthy, however, aren’t prone to sit still and be squeezed. They have the means to move, and many have second homes in states, like Florida, with no income tax. Mr. Ciattarelli sought to attract those who want to stay local.“The problem with socialism,” as Prime Minister Thatcher said, “is that you eventually run out of other people’s money.” Mr. Ciattarelli displayed an understanding of that fact and a willingness to take his arguments to the bluest of blue areas.Mr. Ciattarelli also spoke in defense of Israel, a contrast to Mr. Mamdani, whom the Republican Jewish Coalition described, in an X post Tuesday night, as a “raging antisemite.” The state of New York is home to the world’s largest Jewish population outside Israel. Up to 1.3 million call the city home.“@ZohranKMamdani and his far-left allies attack Israel,” Mr. Ciattarelli wrote, “and push” the “movement” to boycott, divest from, and sanction it. The former assemblyman pledged to “expand NJ’s economic collaboration and partnership with Israel’s government and the business community.”Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani greets voters on 161st Street on June 24, 2025 at the South Bronx. Michael M. Santiago/Getty ImagesDespite being seen as a referendum on incumbent presidents, New Jersey’s off-year governor’s race is often overlooked. By tagging Mr. Mamdani in his X thread, Mr. Ciattarelli increased the chances of drawing him into a public feud that garners press attention.Benjamin Franklin said that New Jersey, where his son, William, was the last royal governor, “is a keg tapped on both ends.” That position between New York City and Philadelphia, the country’s first and fifth most expensive broadcast media markets, makes “unearned media” of unparalleled value in state races.With New York Republicans failing to offer a rebuttal to Mr. Mamdani, Mr. Ciattarelli is stepping into the void to increase his chances of making a national splash. Expect he’ll push Ms. Sherrill to defend socialism while touting lower taxes, smaller government, economic growth, and the rule of law.New Yorkers who prefer living under Mr. Ciattarelli’s policies may, should Mr. Mamdani win, follow Greeley’s advice. They can take bridges and tunnels west, but riding one those “free” buses would be a more poetic escape. Like all the aspiring mayor’s socialist promises, they’ll be paying for them, anyway.

New Jersey’s Ciattarelli, GOP Candidate for Governor, Offers Contrast to Mamdani

New Jersey’s Ciattarelli, GOP Candidate for Governor, Offers Contrast to Mamdani

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