NEWARK, N.J. — Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli received a surprise special guest at his rally in Passaic County on Monday: his son, Jake, who is serving in the U.S. Army and is stationed in Kuwait.
Ciattarelli was at his first of his final three rallies before Election Day at Murph’s Tavern in Totowa, where the local GOP chairman orchestrated the big reveal.
“You don’t know what I’m going to say right now, but your biggest supporter that serves his country just came over overnight to serve you,” Passaic County Republican Chairman Peter Murphy said.
“Who’s here?” Ciattarelli asked with a confused smile. He was visibly taken aback when Jake emerged and gave his father a huge hug from behind the bar at the tavern, receiving loud cheers and chants of “USA.”
Ciattarelli joked that Murphy called President Donald Trump to have him send Air Force One to pick up his son and bring him to the rally.
“If I know the young man, he’ll probably be on a plane this afternoon back to Kuwait to defend our country,” Ciattarelli said of his son. “Let’s hear it for him.”
“Wow, wow! What he probably forgot to do, because he’s been so busy defending our nation, he probably forgot to get in his vote-by-mail ballot. He’s here to vote,” Ciattarelli quipped.
Jake Ciattarelli, an Army captain since 2023, told reporters he plans to stay in the country through Thursday to support his father in the governor’s race against Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ).
The gubernatorial race on Tuesday is projected to be the most competitive off-cycle election of this year. Virginia is holding a gubernatorial election, and New York City will also select a new mayor.
Ciattarelli and Sherrill are locked in a dead heat, according to a recent Emerson College poll, although Sherrill still holds a slight 3.3-point lead, according to RealClearPolitics‘s average.
The Republican voted early on Friday, surrounded by supporters and state lawmakers, telling reporters he’s confident that he’ll “deliver a win” in the blue state. If he wins, he’ll be New Jersey‘s first Republican governor since former Gov. Chris Christie.
Ciattarelli has tied himself significantly to Trump, a gamble of a campaign strategy as it could rally Trump voters to turn out in a non-presidential race, but also could drive centrists and anti-Trump conservatives to stay home or vote for Sherrill.
Trump, who endorsed Ciattarelli earlier this year and has amped up his support for the candidate, is holding a tele-rally for him Monday evening. Sherrill and her campaign have sought to paint Ciattarelli as a Trump-first, New Jersey-second candidate who won’t stand up for the Garden State’s interests.
When asked by the New York Post whether Trump’s agenda in Washington was hurting him, he told the outlet, “Not one bit.”
“And by the way, he improved by over 10 points in New Jersey [2020] compared to [2024]. And he’s done some really good things for New Jersey,” Ciattarelli added.
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The Republicans’ rally in Passaic County, one of the most competitive battleground counties in the Garden State, comes ahead of one at Kelly’s Tavern in Neptune City and a final rally at John Basilone Memorial Park in Raritan, his hometown, where he started his political career.
Sherrill is also holding her final rally on Monday night in Montclair, her hometown. She has not early voted and will vote in person on the morning of Election Day at the Hillside Elementary School.