The New Jersey State Fraternal Order of Police (NJ FOP) endorsed gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli on Tuesday, marking a red shift on law-enforcement issues in the Garden State.
Ciattarelli, a former State Assembly member endorsed by President Donald Trump, reacted to the endorsement on X, noting he was "honored" to have the faith, trust and confidence of the organization's leadership.
"As Governor, I will do everything in my power to support law enforcement - and their families. Working in close partnership, we can and will make communities all across New Jersey safe," he wrote in a post. "In a number of ways, the job of law enforcement has never been more difficult, which is why recruitment, retention and morale is down. We can change all that by restoring respect for authority, law and order and, most of all, the men and women in blue who are trained and dedicated professionals very much committed to serving and protecting."
The NJ FOP does not always endorse a gubernatorial candidate, with its most recent approval being handed to Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy in 2016.
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Jack Ciattarelli won the New Jersey State Fraternal Order of Police's endorsement this week, spring-boarding his campaign for governor. (Getty Images)
Murphy, who led consistently in the polls, won the race in 2017.
"Law enforcement needs the support of our political leadership," Ciattarelli wrote in the post. "As Governor, they will have it from me, the Attorney General, and my entire administration."
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The 63-year-old business owner first ran for governor in 2017, landing runner-up in the Republican primary. In 2021, he secured the GOP nomination, but fell short of ousting Murphy in a near-upset.
Ciattarelli vowed that on his first day of office, he will repeal the state’s Immigrant Trust Directive, which restricts local police from working closely with federal immigration authorities.
While he promised to direct the attorney general to withdraw lawsuits brought against the Trump administration, he said his allegiance is with New Jerseyans.
Jack Ciattarelli, Republican candidate for governor of New Jersey, was endorsed by President Donald Trump. (Mark Kauzlarich/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
In response to recent surveys predicting he is falling behind Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-NJ, Ciattarelli told affiliate FOX 5 New York, "This is the same polling that had me down double digits with two weeks to go last time. We’ve got it as a dead heat, as does my opponent."