Establishment Candidates Ciattarelli And Spadea Fight Over Which Is Less Establishment

Durr is the only candidate not connected to the political establishment

LOGAN TWP – Republican gubernatorial candidate former state Senator Ed “The Trucker” Durr said it was interesting to watch Jack Ciattarelli, an establishment backed political insider, complain about another candidate with connections to the political establishment, Bill Spadea, playing inside baseball last week.

At issue is a letter Ciattarelli sent to Ocean County Republicans last week complaining the county chairman is on the payroll of Spadea’s political organization.

“In our debate I warned that the two guys arguing over who was more Trump-like was just noise,” Ed “The Trucker” Durr said. “I explained that all my opponents were connected to the political establishment. Now we have one establishment guy complaining about another establishment guy in an open letter.”

Durr continued, “For Jack Ciattarelli to complain about anyone getting in bed with a county chair is laughable. His campaign is the campaign that led coups overthrowing chairs and replacing them with leadership supportive of his own campaign.”

“Neither Ciattarelli nor Spadea can hide from the fact they are establishment connected candidates,” Durr said, “Spadea has been siding with establishment picks since he joined forces with their preferred US Senate candidate, John Crowley, in 2008. It makes sense he would team up with Chairman Gilmore. And, Jack is such a part of the establishment that he refused to make public appearances with me in the third legislative district because he was afraid of upsetting former Seante President Sweeney. I called him out in our debate for deeming Gloucester County unwinnable in 2021, pulling resources and sending them to another county, probably because he was afraid of Sweeney. You can’t get more establishment than that!”

Durr added, “Last week’s little Ciattarelli-Spadea spat was just some of the noise I warned my fellow Republicans was coming.”

“In this race there is only one candidate the establishment doesn’t want.” Durr said, “The establishment never wanted me, they didn’t lift a finger to help in 2021 and I won. In 2023 the establishment was part of my campaign and I lost. Nominating an establishment backed candidate for governor will simply lead to more loss.”