Update (6:45 p.m.): Ricky Diaz, Guadagno spokesman, reached out to Save Jersey after this post went up with the following response to Team Ciattatelli’s mailer…
This is a Hail Mary by a desperate man running a losing campaign. As today’s Stockton University poll shows, voters are rejecting High Tax Jack Ciattarelli because he’s doubled down on his plans to raise income tax rates and sales taxes if elected governor. Now he has no choice but to lie about the lieutenant governor. It’s really sad.”
— Original Post —
In an election season that’s been characterized by escalating personal attacks, Save Jerseyans, Asm. Jack Ciattarelli (R-16) went nuclear and dropped the “C word” ahead of Memorial Day Weekend…
“Clinton.”
The attack mailer accuses his GOP primary opponent, Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno (R-Monmouth Beach), of sharing many Hillary-seque positions with the former Democrat presidential nominee including support for cap and trade taxation. Comparing a fellow Republican to the loathed Democrat senior statesman is as serious as an attack gets in a Republican primary.
The two-term lieutenant governor (New Jersey’s first) has undoubtedly opened herself to new scrutiny by tracking left over the last several weeks, even arguing that Hurricane Sandy was caused or exacerbated by climate change, in an effort to align herself with the state’s lean-blue general election voters.
But while Guadagno unambiguously supported the RGGI cap and trade-style regional agreement in a move that surprised many in her own party, her allies nevertheless criticized the Clinton mailer for misstating her campaign positions; for example, while she hasn’t specifically proposed affirmative steps to combat the trend, the LG did dismiss the sanctuary city movement as a ‘political stunt’ which she believes provides no protection for illegals residing in those jurisdictions. The cited ethical cloud — relating to a pension probe from her time as Monmouth County Sheriff — never resulted in any known disciplinary action or a specific finding of wrongdoing. The record is sealed.
Are those explanations merely differences without distinction?
One of the Lieutenant Governor’s ardent social media supporters leapt to her defense by accusing her opponent of desperation:
One of the most desperate and all time pathetic mailers I have ever seen. Jack has really trashed his rep with this one. #AllinWithKim pic.twitter.com/JAWLLsruIU
— Jonathan Wright (@JonWrightNJ) May 25, 2017
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