On June 8, 2021, Jack Ciattarelli won the Republican primary election for New Jersey’s gubernatorial election this upcoming November. He is running to unseat incumbent Democratic Governor Philip Murphy.

Running against Philip Rizzo, Hirsh Singh, and Brian Levine, Ciattarelli took the ultimate victory with 49.5% of the votes.

He was a member of the New Jersey General Assembly representing District 16 from 2011 to 2018.

This is not Ciattarelli’s first attempt at becoming governor of New Jersey. In the 2017 gubernatorial election, he ran as a Republican candidate but ultimately lost in the primary election to Kim Guadagno.

Ciattarelli was originally born in Somerville, New Jersey. His grandparents were immigrants from Italy.

Jack received both his B.S. in accounting and M.B.A in finance from Seton Hall University. He has four children with his wife Melinda.

Aside from being a politician, Ciattarelli is also the owner of Galen Publishing, L.L.C. According to Bloomberg, “Galen Publishing LLC operates as a doctor, physicians, and surgery marketing center. The Center specializes in marketing services, medical printing, and medical publishing.”

His platform is based on criticizing incumbent governor Phil Murphy. The key issues he has a strong stance on are improving education, lowering taxes, supporting law enforcement, and making healthcare more affordable.

Kaylyn Alejo, a senior at Wayne Hills High School, shared her thoughts on candidate Jack Ciattarelli. “Although I am surprised Jack Ciattarelli is running to unseat Phil Murphy, I am certain that the base Murphy has created with his previous voters is strong enough for him to remain Governor of New Jersey. November is right around the corner!” Alejo said.

Mr. Hittinger, a history teacher at Wayne Hills, also shared his opinions on Ciattarelli from a logical perspective, saying, “I think that he [Ciattarelli] has an uphill battle because New Jersey is a solid democratic state and has reinforced that in the year of Trump era. [Ciattarelli] has ties to Trump-like policies which were not supported by the majority of suburban voters, especially women in New Jersey. Murphy’s approval ratings have been very high. Masking in schools is approved by the majority of New Jersey voters. Taking this into consideration, Murphy will have an easy re-election campaign.”

The general election will be held on November 2, 2021. Polls will be open from 6:00 AM-8:00 PM.