“An outspoken preacher in Trenton… argued that his ties to MAGA make Ciattarelli something of a pariah”

TRENTON, NJ – If you head over to jack4nj.com/blacks, you’ll see “Ciattarelli standing proudly with his hands on his hips and the phrase ‘Blacks Back Jack.’”

But as Salon reports today, Jack’s “his campaign can't name any Black supporters.” That’s a bad look for a candidate who, just three years ago, said the reason for his last losing effort was, “‘Quite frankly, there’s no better way to put it. My team was too white.’” 

“‘Jack Ciattarelli himself admitted that his last campaign was ‘too white,’…yet his recent actions show he has no clear understanding of how to advance the real needs and priorities of Black New Jerseyans,’ Assemblywoman Shavonda Sumter, chair of the New Jersey Legislative Black Caucus, said in a statement to Salon.”

Read Salon’s full coverage here.

Salon: The Trump-backed candidate for New Jersey governor makes an awkward appeal to Black voters

By Garrett Owen

• In 2021, [Jack] Ciattarelli tried and failed to court the minority vote, speaking on the difficulties minorities face in the country, but proving unable to secure many of their votes in New Jersey’s cities.

• In a speech at Rowan University in 2022, Ciattarelli put it bluntly: “Quite frankly, there’s no better way to put it. My team was too white.”

• However, taking a look at Ciattarelli’s website begins to raise some questions. In the tab entitled, “Coalitions,” among the groups listed (alongside “Law Enforcement”; “Muslims”; and “Parents”) is one for African Americans. Only, it’s called “Blacks.” 

• When asked about the “coalition,” Ciattarelli’s Deputy Campaign Manager Nick Poche did not have specific details on “Blacks Back Jack,” but instead talked about the need for the campaign to “engage” minority groups.

• Complicating Ciattarelli’s efforts is a nod from President Donald Trump, who called the candidate a “true champion” during the Republican primary. While it secured Ciattarelli the nomination, the same cannot be said for boosting his support among minority voters.  

• “Jack Ciattarelli himself admitted that his last campaign was ‘too white,’…yet his recent actions show he has no clear understanding of how to advance the real needs and priorities of Black New Jerseyans,” Assemblywoman Shavonda Sumter, chair of the New Jersey Legislative Black Caucus, said in a statement to Salon.

• Sumter further criticized Ciattarelli for “elevating optics over substance” and  “aligning himself with Trump and the MAGA movement.”

• Ciattarelli might have already lost the battle of community faith in New Jersey.

• “I cannot allow someone who has bowed at the altar of MAGA to stand before a congregation still reeling from the trauma that movement has inflicted,” Reverend Dr. Charles Boyer said in a column for the New Jersey Globe.

• “We need to make this state less expensive…we have the highest property taxes in the country. We are ranked the worst country in the state to do business,” [Ciattarelli staffer] Arpert said, again praising Ciattarelli for his touring of the state, saying “Jack is going everywhere.”

• At the time of the interview, however, he was not in New Jersey at all. Rather, Ciattarelli was in Israel. His Democratic opponent, meanwhile, was appealing to the state’s Black voters, naming Centenary University President Rev. Dale Caldwell as her running mate.