In a surprising and positive change of political winds, a labor union that put its forces behind then-Democratic nominee and incumbent Gov. Phil Murphy with an endorsement of his reelection campaign four years ago has now endorsed Jack Ciattarelli, the Republican who ran against him in the 2021 New Jersey gubernatorial race, in the election this November.
What does that mean, beyond a few glowing words for marketing gurus to splash across Garden State TV screen in political ads? Quite a lot more than you might think, local publication The New Jersey Globe reports: [emphasis added]
The International Union of Operating Engineers Local 825 has endorsed Jack Ciattarelli for governor of New Jersey, giving the Republican nominee the support of one of the state’s most politically potent labor unions.
The 8,000-member union can provide Ciattarelli with boots on the ground during his campaign, and the potential to spend a significant amount of money through independent expenditures to help him win.
Ciattarelli won the Republican nomination just over a week ago - after gaining Pres. Trump's endorsement back in May. Gov. Murphy is term-limited.
The union’s business manager, Greg Lalevee, listed in a statement a few reasons why they went with the Republican nominee this time - and at least one of them could be a bellwether for 2026 on the Democrat bases' stomach for standing with green energy pushers:
“New Jersey is at a crossroads. We face an energy crisis, an affordability crisis, and a crisis of common sense. The solutions are basic but may not be politically popular. We need a Governor who will tackle our challenges and not cave to the fringe political voices."
He hinted that the members will also like the candidate's policy stances on illegal immigration:
He said that Ciattarelli’s position on immigration will be popular with blue-collar union members, and noted that President Donald Trump, who endorsed Ciattarelli, last week directed federal agencies to honor union project labor agreements.
Here's where he sticks the knife in with the Democrats:
Lalevee cited Ciattarelli’s willingness to create jobs by supporting projects involving natural gas and panned the Democratic nominee, Mikie Sherrill, for “banking on solar” as a solution to the state’s energy needs.
“The notion that we can do this without natural gas is insane,” Lalevee told the New Jersey Globe. “We can’t get there just on solar. That’s impossible.”
No shock here, but the Dems' candidate boasts the endorsement of the radical environmental group, The Sierra Club.
While it's too early to know what effect this move by the engineers' union may have on the race, it brings to mind what happened in the 2024 presidential race, when unions crossed the aisle to endorse Donald Trump; some of them had reliably shown up for Democrats for decades.
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The news just gets better for the GOP, though. Ciattarelli wasn't exactly blown out by the Democrat candidate, losing by just three percentage points to a powerhouse with name recognition like Murphy.
As the editor of the New Jersey Globe notes in a post on his X account, it's a "big deal" for "one of New Jersey's most politically influential labor unions" to do this:
Regardless of the outcome on November 4, it's always a plus when there's an opportunity to pass along good news in a blue state for Republicans.