Ciattarelli Appeals to Nativist Voters in N.J. Governor’s Race

While Virginia-born Mikie Sherrill has lived up and down the East Coast before settling in New Jersey in 2010, Jack Ciattarelli is a born-and-raised Central Jersey native whose family’s roots in the Garden State go back 100 years.

Whether a candidate’s Jersey pedigree matters to voters remains to be seen, but Ciattarelli, the Republican gubernatorial nominee, seems to think it does, as he’s mentioned it multiple times campaigning against Democrat rival Sherrill for New Jersey governor.

“The Democrats tried this with [former New Jersey Gov.] Jon Corzine. He was from Illinois. You saw how that worked out,” Ciattarelli said at an August campaign rally. “You’ve seen this with [New Jersey Gov.] Phil Murphy. He was from Massachusetts. You saw how that worked out. Now we have someone else who’s not from New Jersey. I’ve got a better idea. How about we elect a Jersey guy?”