Trump made big gains in New Jersey. Now he could tip the Republican primary for governor.

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

65% : Trump came an unexpectedly close six points to carrying New Jersey's 14 electoral votes, fueling GOP hopes of a statewide victory this year.
64% : "I have been an ardent, strong and effective supporter of President Trump since he came down the escalator in 2015," Spadea said at the debate.
60% : Just one month into his return as president, Trump is already getting involved in gubernatorial politics.
58% : Just before holding a rally in Wildwood last May, Trump called into Spadea's radio show and told him "you've had my back from the beginning."
56% : "Spadea's comments post-2020 regarding Trump have been a revelation to people in Trump World, and certainly undermine Sapdea's claim that he's been a Trump OG," the person said.
56% : " Durr, a truck driver who shocked the political world in 2021 by defeating Sweeney -- the longtime Democratic state Senate president -- said he's the only candidate who's said exclusively positive things about Trump and would welcome his endorsement.
53% : Ciattarelli surprised many by coming within three points of winning the governorship that year, and Trump has suggested Ciattarelli could have won if he'd embraced him .
49% : So as Ciattarelli and Spadea make their appeals to the MAGA masses, they also appear to be crafting messages designed to be heard by one part-time New Jersey resident in particular: Trump.
49% : Former Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway and ad man Larry Weitzner, who worked on Trump's 2016 and 2020 campaigns, are heading a Ciattarelli-aligned super PAC called "Kitchen Table Conservatives" that has brought up statements by Spadea critical of Trump and they've called out Spadea's fundraising numbers. Going by Trump's own pre-election statements, he appears inclined towards Spadea.
48% : "If Trump endorses Spadea, I think the primary is over.
46% : While candidates are trying to convince primary voters of their support of Trump, the campaigns haven't been public about what, if any, direct outreach they've made to the president.
43% : In the 2024 Senate primary, Trump endorsed Mendham Borough Mayor Christine Serrano-Glassner, the wife of former Trump adviser Michael Glassner, over businessperson Curtis Bashaw.
42% : (Gilmore received a pardon from Trump in 2021 after being convicted of two tax-related felonies in 2019).
39% : "I think there needs to be more substance behind the candidates than just saying you're for Trump," Durr said.
36% : Ciattarelli and Spadea aren't the only candidates portraying themselves as the New Jersey version of Trump.
34% : Trump in the past has tried and failed to play kingmaker in New Jersey.
34% : He thinks he's hot stuff, I guess," Trump said.
30% : Ciattarelli and his allies are using a two-pronged approach: Sew doubt about the extent of Spadea's loyalty to Trump while suggesting Spadea's comparatively lackluster fundraising won't be able to compete with the state's long-dominant Democrats in November's general election.
29% : Former state Sen. Ed Durr is quick to point out that Trump personally called him following his shocking 2021 upset of longtime Democratic Senate president Steve Sweeney.
27% : State Sen. Jon Bramnick is the anomaly candidate as a moderate Republican who's been openly critical of Trump for years.
25% : Ciattarelli called him a "charlatan" in 2015 and said he should drop out of that race following the Access Hollywood tape in which Trump boasted of grabbing women by their private parts.
20% : But Ciattarelli and his allies, who've dug through thousands of hours of Spadea's radio show, have reposted Spadea's criticism of Trump following the 2020 election, even if much of it was for not being aggressive enough against his critics and "the deep state.
18% : " In one video clip, Spadea said "I do not want President Trump to run again.
18% : Ciattarelli has his own negative history of Trump comments.
14% : Trump also criticized Ciattarelli, without mentioning him by name, for not seeking Trump's help in his 2021 campaign.
14% : Trump screwed up.

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