Republicans across New Jersey must know that right-wing consultant King Penna is a combustible sort.

But they probably didn’t consider the chances of Penna harassing their spouses. They do now.

Penna is running Hirsh Singh’s gubernatorial campaign. So it came to pass that at Tuesday night’s gubernatorial debate at radio station 101.5, Penna and the wife of candidate Jack Ciattarelli were in the same room listening to the debate.

This was not an entirely peaceful interaction.

A roughly one minute and 40 second video posted on Rumble, a social media site popular with conservatives, begins with Penna telling Ciattarelli’s wife, Melinda, that her husband is not a real Republican because he is “pro-choice” and didn’t vote for Donald Trump.

After listening for awhile, Melinda Ciattarelli replied “Bullshit” to the suggestion her husband didn’t vote for Trump.

Things then veered into personal matters when Penna said Ciattarelli’s three children should leave the family home.

“When are you going to throw your kids out of the house,” Penna asked Melinda.

Most know the back story. Singh has been criticized for living with his parents at age 36.

So Penna is trying to turn things around.

Melinda replied that one child lives at home and works as a diesel mechanic. She said her other two kids are in the Army and attending Montclair State University, respectively.

Penna persisted with this point, saying that all three kids are registered to vote at the family home.

Melinda didn’t contest that, but noted that two of her children are not actually living at home.

Later, she called Penna an “imbecile,” and an “arrogant ass-hole.”

Eventually, two other people entered the room and Melinda told them Penna was being “obnoxious.”

They were separated, but not before Penna complained about being called an “ass.”

He then said that the exchange is “going to look great” on Facebook.

Here is where we come to the intersection of common sense and craziness.

Penna’s apparent view is that this exchange makes him look good and Melinda Ciattarelli bad. And by extension, Singh good and Jack Ciattarelli bad.

In fact, the headline on the posted video says Penna is the one being attacked. Penna chimes in with a terse note above the video on his Facebook page.

It reads, “The Ciattarellis are a disgrace.”

For his part, Jack Ciattarelli posted the video on his Facebook page with the comment, “Proud of my wife.”

Clearly, he thinks harassing the wife of your opponent – as Penna did – is not coherent strategy.

This episode would not be complete without a view from Morris County, where Penna has done a lot of his past work.

Assemblywoman BettyLou DeCroce, who is in the midst of a tough fight to keep her seat, called Penna’s antics “shameful” and said Singh should fire him.

But there was also the local touch.

DeCroce said the other three candidates in the LD-26 primary should join her in condemning Penna.

For the record, the other three are Jay Webber, Christian Barranco and Tom Mastrangelo.