WOODBRIDGE - Jack Ciattarelli is talking Thursday evening to about 50 local Republicans in the open air - the side yard of a beauty salon on Amboy Avenue.

It's an odd setting, but Ciattarelli is predictably upbeat.

"Woodbridge is ground zero, we can win here," he says

Not only that, Ciattarelli is already talking about "coattails." His. He hopes Republicans can win enough seats this fall to take control of the Assembly.

They need to flip 13 seats to do that. Talk about a tall order.

He said he thinks shooting for the stars is possible because the differences between New Jersey Democrats and Republicans have never been this "stark."

While Dems talk about "pronouns" and social engineering, Ciattarelli said Republicans talk about stopping over-development and basic education.

As for Phil Murphy, he condemned the governor for one of his more recent proposals - lowering the voting age to 16 for school board elections. He called it wrong and dangerous.

Six Democrats are seeking the party's nomination, but Ciattarelli doesn't care who emerges. As he puts it, they are all "complicit" in Murphy's agenda.

Could be, but Ciattarelli kind of ignored the fact he is not yet the GOP standard-bearer.

There is a primary with four other credible candidates.

Asked about that, Ciattarelli said he's "taking nothing for granted." (One wonders which candidate in history was the first to say that).

As he did when he ran four years ago, Ciattarelli likes to talk about traveling up and down the state. He began the day at a diner and after the Woodbridge gathering, he was off to a "meet and greet" in Hazlet.

Answering a question, he said he plans to campaign in Democratic araes, and, in fact, has done so already.

He said he spent a recent Saturday visiting five barber shops in Newark to talk to patrons. Ciattarelli said he thinks blacks and Hispanics are realizing that Democrats have taken their support for granted.

One man asked about Donald Trump.

Ciattarelli said he is leading in the polls and in fundraising, which bodes well for a Trump endorsement.

That can be a mixed blessing - at least in the general.

Much can happen between now and November, but the president's approval ratings have dipped below 50 percent. And the stock market has reacted negatively to the off-again, on-again tariffs.

Brushing that aside, Ciattarelli said:

"Based on the president's performance in the last election, his endorsement will be well received by the people of New Jersey."