In a potential preview of the 2025 gubernatorial contest, Republican Jack Ciattarelli and Democratic Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop sparred over sanctuary cities and migrant busses yesterday.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“Steve Fulop declared Jersey City a sanctuary city and Phil Murphy declared New Jersey a sanctuary state. Look where that’s gotten us. Now, their refusal to condemn President Biden for his open borders policies and failure to get tough with Mexico is making a bad situation worse,” Ciattarelli, referencing an executive order Fulop signed in 2017, wrote on Facebook yesterday.
“This is a matter of national security. The time is now to reform federal immigration laws and secure the border by deploying the military.”
His comments came a few hours after HCV reported that approximately 895 migrants traveled to five different New Jersey train stations, including Secaucus, since the weekend, before heading to New York City.
Fulop, who had tweeted that migrants deserved compassion in light of Edison Mayor Sam Joshi saying they weren’t welcome in his municipality, responded in kind by stating Ciattarelli came out in support of immigrant driver’s licenses in 2021.
“You’re back again?!… ok here goes – i know it’s a ‘new’ Jack now but remember you said the quote below?” he wrote.
“Bottom line it’s politically expedient for you to now take a hard line against immigrants but it was also very considerate of you to support driver licenses so they weren’t late for work[.][Undocumented immigrants are] here [and] they’re not going anywhere. Let’s know who they are and let’s give them a driver’s license …”
While the general election for the Governor of New Jersey is still about 22 months away, Fulop, along with former state Senate President Steve Sweeney, are the only two formally declared candidates in the race thus far.
However, Ciattarelli, a former freeholder and state assemblyman, is making it quite clear that he is hoping the third time is the charm.
He lost the Republican gubernatorial nomination to then-Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno in 2017 and was the nominee three years later, losing a tight race to Gov. Phil Murphy (D) by about three points.
Although Ciattarelli hasn’t formally announced a bid for 2025, he said shortly after losing two years ago that he planned on running again and has remained active for Republican candidates throughout the state.
He and Fulop trading barbs is nothing new, with their bad blood dating back as far as 2016.
Fulop when questioned always falls back on his basic inner nastiness.
He would make a terrible Governor to all but his real estate developer contributors.
Time to call out this phony compassion (paid for by others, you and me, but never by the elected elite or their elite-adjacent nonprofit buddies) for the narcissism it really is. Fulop’s so called help will be at the expense of his neighbors. Not nice to steal from your neighbors. No way I am voting for Fulop. I’m voting for Jack over this guy. But remember, Ben Franklin warned us that politicians who steal from Peter to give to Paul will be assured of the support of Paul.
Jack’s already shown that he’s a loser. Doubt if the craven GOP will give him another chance just because he puts his face out there. Hard to go all in for Fulop until others announce.