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Garfield Mayor Everett E. Garnto Jr. of Bergen County officially left the Democratic Party on Thursday and endorsed Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli, citing dissatisfaction with Governor Phil Murphy\u2019s leadership. \u201cThe state is broken,\u201d Garnto declared at a rally in Garfield, where hundreds gathered to support the GOP contender. He criticized Murphy for rising taxes, costly utilities, and public safety concerns, saying New Jerseyans \u201cdeserve better.\u201d<\/p>\n
Garnto, who supported Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election, brings a strong background in local law enforcement, having served as president of the Garfield Police Benevolent Association. His switch marks a growing trend of moderate Democrats aligning with Ciattarelli. Other notable Democratic backers include Dover Mayor James P. Dodd and former Assemblyman Jamel Holley, who h ave also expressed discontent with current state leadership.<\/p>\n
Ciattarelli, a former state assemblyman, is set to face Democratic U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill in the November 2025 gubernatorial race. According to a recent Emerson College poll, the contest is currently tied, with both candidates holding 43% of the vote and 11% of voters still undecided. The close numbers reflect a deeply polarized electorate and a growing appetite for change among some New Jersey voters.<\/p>\n
Former President Donald Trump, who has endorsed Ciattarelli, amplified the Emerson poll on Truth Social, praising the candidate as \u201ctough on crime and cutting taxes.\u201d He criticized Sherrill for supporting progressive causes, attempting to paint her as out of touch with mainstream voters. Meanwhile, Sherrill has defended her record and committed to easing the financial burden on working families.<\/p>\n
Beyond party lines, Ciattarelli has also secured support from organized labor. The International Union of Operating Engineers Local 825, representing over 7,000 members, endorsed him for his openness to natural gas projects and focus on infrastructure. With energy policy, tax reform, and economic transparency at the center of the campaign, the gubernatorial race remains highly competitive in a sharply divided New Jersey.<\/p>\n
President Donald Trump on Wednesday addressed sharp criticism from Zohran Mamdani, who defeated disgraced former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in New York City\u2019s mayoral race.<\/p>\n
Mamdani, a democratic socialist, ordered the president during his fiery victory speech to \u201cturn the volume up.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s a very dangerous statement for him to make,\u201d Trump told Fox News host Bret Baier. \u201cHe has to be a little bit respectful of Washington, because if he\u2019s not, he doesn\u2019t have a chance of succeeding. And I want to make him succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n
He quickly clarified, \u201cI want to make the city succeed, I don\u2019t want to make him succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump has frequently attacked the progressive candidate throughout his campaign, which focused on affordable housing and expanding social safety nets.<\/p>\n
Mamdani faced racist attacks from critics before defeating Cuomo, whom Trump had endorsed.<\/p>\n
In his victory speech Tuesday, Mamdani called Trump a \u201cdespot\u201d who has \u201cbetrayed\u201d the nation.<\/p>\n
He urged his supporters to use their votes and voices to \u201cstop the next Trump\u201d by \u201cdismantling the very conditions that allowed him to accumulate power.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u201cI thought it was a very angry speech,\u201d Trump told Baier. \u201cCertainly angry toward me, and I think he should be nice to me. I\u2019m sort of the one that has to approve a lot of things coming to him, so he\u2019s off to a bad start.\u201d<\/p>\n
Supporters countered that Mamdani, 34, is off to a great start as the first Muslim and South Asian mayor in city history, and its youngest in more than a century.<\/p>\n
\u201cLook, for thousands of years communism has not worked. Communism, or the concept of communism, has not worked. I tend to doubt it will work this time,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n
He added that he was \u201ctorn\u201d by Mamdani\u2019s win due to his \u201clove\u201d for New York City, saying he \u201cwould like to see the new mayor do well.\u201d<\/p>\n
When asked if he\u2019s thought about reaching out, Trump replied, \u201cI would say he needs to reach out to us, really. I\u2019m here. We\u2019ll see what happens, but I would think it would be more appropriate for him to reach out to us.\u201d<\/p>\n
In June, when asked about Mamdani\u2019s vow to \u201cstop masked ICE agents from deporting our neighbors,\u201d Trump said, \u201cWell then, we\u2019ll have to arrest him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLook, we don\u2019t need a communist in this country, but if we have one, I\u2019m going to be watching over him very carefully on behalf of the nation,\u201d Trump added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Garfield Mayor Everett E. Garnto Jr. of Bergen County officially left the Democratic Party on Thursday and endorsed Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli, citing dissatisfaction with Governor Phil Murphy\u2019s leadership. \u201cThe state…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12625,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12626","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hot-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t