Jack Ciattarelli’s campaign revealed on Tuesday that their candidate received his first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine over the weekend at a New Jersey CVS.
In a photo released by his campaign, the GOP frontrunner held up a sign declaring that he’s “#OneStepCloser to: ‘Hugging my 89-year-old Mom!'”
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Perhaps uncoincidentally, Governor Murphy tried to blame CVS and Walgreens back at the beginning of the year for trouble with the state’s notorious vaccine rollout.
Vaccine politics is equally tricky for Republicans in 2021.
Ciattarelli is betting that the primary is all but over (especially after fellow GOP hopeful Phil Rizzo failed to qualify for matching funds), and he’s also betting that touting his own vaccination may win over a few moderate Faucists in the suburbs who hate Trump but aren’t exactly married to Phil Murphy.
At the same time, notwithstanding ample supply, vaccinations are down 60% across all New Jersey sites despite the state extending vaccine eligibility to all residents 16 and up beginning April 19th. Some of that’s because over 4 million New Jerseyans have already received at least one dose; with an adult population of 6+ million, Trenton is running out of adults who want to get the thing. 4 in 10 Americans don’t want a jab for various reasons (ranging from the usual anti-vaxxer conspiracy theories to a genuine concerns with giving something very new to low risk individuals), and Republican voters – 40% of them – disproportionately fall into that group.
Many of those same voters believe that there’s nothing wrong with hugging your mother unvaccinated and are unlikely to get excited about a candidate who espouses that opinion. Newsflash: this whole vaccine thing has become hyper-politicized. I know, I know… you’re shocked to hear me say it!
Who’s the blame? The proximate problem in New Jersey (I’m convinced) and some other blue states is a simple and uncomplicated lack of incentive. Phil Murphy continues to slow roll reopening and, in so doing, accomplished nothing towards convincing mask and restriction-weary residents that there’s a point in taking an emergency use drug since it won’t make your life any less restricted for the indefinite future.
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