ATLANTIC COUNTY, N.J. – Jack Ciattarelli may have locked up one of Election 2021’s primary battlegrounds with a new group of endorsements released Thursday.
The new list includes County Executive Dennis Levinson and State Senator Chris Brown, arguably the county’s two most influential Republicans.
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“While I do not typically make endorsements prior to our county convention, Jack is different. Jack has earned broad support from across Atlantic County by spending time here on the ground, supporting our Republican candidates, and being there when we needed him,” said Atlantic GOP Chairman Keith Davis in a statement released by the Ciattarelli campaign. “Jack is the only candidate who can beat Phil Murphy and begin to fix our badly broken state.”
Notably, Ciattarelli has the backing of not just Davis but also Vince Polistina, the former Assemblyman who represents the opposing faction in Atlantic GOP politics.
The Atlantic convention is expected to take place sometime in February.
Ciattarelli previously received endorsements from the Hammonton Regular Republican Club, the Atlantic City GOP (along with Councilman Jesse Kurtz), four freeholders and several heavy hitters in Egg Harbor Township. Here are the additional names from today’s announcements:
Former District 2 Assemblyman & current Margate Commissioner John Amodeo
Former District 2 Assemblyman Ken LeFevre
Former District 2 Assemblyman Ed Kline
Former Atlantic County Freeholder Frank Sutton
Incoming Egg Harbor Township Club President Paul Rosenberg
Atlantic County Young Republicans Chairman Brian Fitzherbert
Winning Atlantic’s support would represent a major reversal from 2017 when Ciattarelli finished 3rd at the convention behind Kim Guadagno and Hirsh Singh (the latter of whom is also running again this time around).
So far, the Jersey Shore establishment vote is expected to prove a mixed bag.
Ciattarelli is also heavily favored to get the line in Monmouth County, but Doug Steinhardt probably has an edge in Ocean County and Cape May is considered friendly territory for Steinhardt.
