Former Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli has opened up a commanding 31-point lead over his closest rival in the Republican primary race for New Jersey governor, according to a new internal poll released by his campaign.
The survey, conducted by National Research Inc., shows Ciattarelli capturing 54% of likely Republican primary voters, compared to 23% for NJ 101.5 radio host Bill Spadea. State Senator Jon Bramnick comes in at 10%, while former Englewood Cliffs Mayor Mario Kranjac lags at just 2%. A fifth candidate, political newcomer Justin Barbera, was not included in the poll.
Among Republican voters who view former President Donald Trump favorably or approve of his job performance, Ciattarelli extends his lead to 56%-23%—a 32-point margin. He also holds a strong edge among the party faithful who have voted in each of the last three primaries, leading Spadea 53%-24%.
The poll, conducted by Adam Geller—an established Republican pollster with ties to Trump—shows significant momentum for Ciattarelli, who has steadily expanded his advantage over Spadea from earlier this year. In two February polls, Ciattarelli led Spadea by 27 points (45%-18%) and 19 points (41%-22%), respectively, and was ahead by 28 points (50%-22%) in April.
“Jack’s ballot advantage over Spadea is now the largest it has ever been,” the Ciattarelli campaign said in a statement, “despite Spadea ramping up spending on negative advertising and attempting to justify his previous criticisms of President Trump following the 2020 election.”
Ciattarelli also holds a financial edge, having qualified for the full $5.5 million in public matching funds allowed under New Jersey’s gubernatorial campaign finance rules. Bramnick has received $3.15 million (57%) in matching funds, while Spadea has pulled in just under $2.5 million (45%). Kranjac did not qualify for matching funds.
The three leading contenders—Ciattarelli, Bramnick, and Spadea—are set to square off in their final debate on Tuesday, May 20.