Tomorrow, at 7pm, the Republican candidates for Governor will square off one last time. The debate features the top three candidates: Trump-endorsed Jack Ciattarelli, two-time losing candidate and failed radio host Bill Spadea, and State Senator Jon Bramnick.
You can watch online at the New Jersey Globe, or you could stream the debate on Facebook Live, YouTube Live, or on Twitter.
Spadea's campaign just hasn't shown signs of a groundswell of support (POLITICO, 5/13)
Many are suggesting that [Trump’s rejection of Spadea] is effectively the death knell for the campaign of former radio host Bill Spadea. (NJ101.5, 5/13)
The announcement… severely wounds Spadea’s chances of an upset. (Star Ledger/NJ.com, 5/12)
With Trump now having put his thumb on the scale, it’s hard to imagine any other candidate overcoming Ciattarelli’s already-enormous lead – 30 percentage points, according to an April Rutgers-Eagleton poll. (New Jersey Globe, 5/12)
Trump’s endorsement makes Ciattarelli the prohibitive favorite in the Republican primary on June 10. His closest opponent, Spadea, lags in polling and fundraising and tried to make his candidacy almost solely around support for Trump. (POLITICO, 5/17)
President Trump solidified Ciattarelli’s frontrunner status, endorsing him… For months, getting President Donald Trump’s endorsement was seen as the key to winning New Jersey’s Republican primary election. (NJ Spotlight News, 5/15)
The public support from Mr. Trump is likely to solidify Mr. Ciattarelli’s odds in the June 10 Republican primary. (New York Times, 5/12)
The president on Monday endorsed Ciattarelli, despite intense lobbying from Spadea and amid speculation that the president would sit out the primary. (Courier Post, 5/16)
Jeff Deminski, Spadea’s former coworker at NJ105, in an opinion piece: Both Ciattarelli and Bill Spadea were battling for Trump’s endorsement. The better man won. (5/13)