Republicans are gearing up with all expedition to contend in a fierce 2025 primary for governor, among them Jack Ciattarelli, the 2021 GOP nominee who almost defeated incumbent Gov. Phil Murphy.

Backers of Bill Spadea hope they can transfer organic euphoric base energy from Trump, which is one of the reasons the radio host today ate a recirculated video interview of himself in which he wished Trump wouldn’t run for president again. If his adversaries can pry him somewhat from being the contest’s obvious Trump guy, maybe they can chop into his efforts to morph into the New Jersey version of Trump.

Ciattarelli has his own somewhat complicated history with the president-elect, more or less uncomplicated this year when Trump turned into a juggernaut in the Republican Primary.

But here’s where the allies of the former LD-16 Assemblyman and businessman see opportunities for their statewide candidate, who next year will take his third shot at the governor’s mansion. First, they note his advantages over Spadea and state Senator Jon Bramnick in fundraising and his closing ELEC balance last month of $1.3 million, compared to $563K for Bramnick and $652K for Spadea, and overall fundraising trend lines favoring Ciattarelli.

Where they get especially energized is in the area of name ID, where Ciattarelli’s two runs, especially the last one – where he came within a handful of points from upsetting Murphy – and his ongoing high visibility participation in political events around the state, give him an edge, they argue. Spadea and Bramnick, they argue, have name ID contingent on radio wave exposure in certain areas, and legislative reach.Fairleigh Dickinson University polling confirms Ciattarelli as the best known among the top contenders for the job.

Ciattarelli’s familiarity with voters will prove critical in a year in which the legislature will submit instructions for new primary ballots, in which organizational ballot positioning will play a less important role than individuated name recognition, Ciattarelli’s allies argue.

They like where they are at the moment, given that combination of money and name ID.

Editor’s Note: Photo by InsiderNJ Columnist Fred Snowflack.