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Jack Ciatarelli

Jack Ciattarelli is a lifelong New Jerseyan with a strong background in both business and public service. Born in Somerville and raised in Raritan, he holds a B.S. in Accounting and an MBA from Seton Hall University, and is a Certified Public Accountant (inactive). He successfully launched two small businesses in medical publishing and later served at multiple levels of New Jersey government, including as a borough councilman, county freeholder, and state assemblyman from 2011 to 2018. In 2021, he ran a competitive race for governor that helped revitalize the Republican Party in the state. He is now running again, positioning himself as a pragmatic, common-sense conservative focused on restoring fiscal sanity, government accountability, and affordability for working families.

Ciattarelli’s platform centers on bold reforms across affordability, government efficiency, and public integrity. He proposes capping property taxes, slashing state spending by 30%, consolidating income tax brackets, and incentivizing recent college grads to stay in New Jersey. His agenda includes an overhaul of state government operations through a new Department of Government Efficiency (NJDOGE), mandatory in-person work for state employees, and reforms to boards, commissions, and budget processes. He supports voter ID laws, election security enhancements, bail reform rollbacks, and community policing incentives. On education, he pushes for school choice expansion, pre-K growth, and a Parents’ Bill of Rights. Additional proposals include repealing sanctuary policies, banning offshore wind farms, restructuring NJ’s transportation authorities, and promoting healthcare market reforms, veterans’ support, and disability rights.

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Ciattarelli

Running for:
Governor
Incumbent
Challenger

Websites

This election is on June 10th, 2025

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Agenda

  • Affordability & Tax Reform
    - Cap property taxes as a percentage of assessed home value; expand senior property tax freeze
    - Reduce state spending by 30% and cap future budget growth to inflation
    - Cut Corporation Business Tax by 1% per year for five years
    - Reduce and consolidate income tax brackets; make student loan interest tax-deductible
    - Refund difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition to graduates who stay in NJ 3+ years

  • Government Reform & Efficiency
    - Enact 8-year term limits for state legislators
    - End remote work for state employees; mandate 5-day in-person work week
    - Create Department of Government Efficiency (NJDOGE) led by the Lt. Governor
    - Audit and streamline 3,000 board and commission seats
    - Reform NJ Board of Public Utilities to reduce utility and insurance rate hikes
    - Enforce 2-week cooling-off period before voting on state budget bills
    - Implement 'Customer First Initiative' across all state offices

  • Election Integrity
    - Require photo ID at polls and advance voter verification for mail-in ballots
    - Reform vote-by-mail laws to require ballots by Election Day
    - Expand early in-person voting and align primary/general timelines
    - Create a Voter Fraud Task Force under the Attorney General
    - Prohibit political chairs from serving on Boards of Elections
    - Adopt Florida-style ballot counting with early tabulation and fast reporting

  • Public Safety & Law Enforcement
    - Repeal sanctuary state policies and withhold aid from noncompliant cities
    - Protect qualified immunity and oppose civilian review boards
    - Fix bail reform to keep violent and repeat offenders detained
    - Support community policing and local hiring incentives
    - Restore COLA for police/fire pensions and protect future benefits

  • Education
    - Reform school funding formula with statewide per-pupil spending standard
    - Expand pre-K using private providers aligned with parent choice
    - Expand charter schools and school choice programs
    - Implement 3+1 college programs and job pipelines via Vo-Tech partnerships
    - Offer teachers pension choice via defined contribution options
    - Enact Parents’ Bill of Rights requiring online K-12 curriculum transparency

  • Energy Policy
    - Draft a new Energy Master Plan with an all-of-the-above strategy
    - Repeal mandates/timelines for EVs, appliances, and home standards
    - Ban offshore wind farms along NJ coast
    - Withdraw NJ from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI)

  • Transportation
    - Create Garden State Transportation Authority consolidating NJ Transit, Turnpike Authority, SJTA
    - Oppose and fight New York’s congestion pricing

  • Abortion Policy
    - Prohibit elective abortions after 20 weeks with certain exceptions
    - Support parental notification for minors seeking abortion
    - Oppose taxpayer funding of abortion and the Reproductive Freedom Act
    - Support education to reduce teenage/unwanted pregnancies

  • Healthcare
    - Guarantee coverage for pre-existing conditions and in-network continuity
    - Crack down on insurers inflating profits through denial tactics
    - Cover all emergency out-of-network care; stabilize markets via reinsurance
    - Promote free-market health systems and telehealth access
    - Support Medicaid innovation and protect Medicare/Social Security
    - Allow religious and philosophical vaccine exemptions via ombudsman

  • Veterans & Military Families
    - Eliminate active-duty requirement for National Guard tax benefits
    - Partner on veteran suicide prevention and provide family bereavement services

  • Gun Rights
    - Repeal laws violating due process; grandfather previously legal firearms
    - Standardize gun permit processes and reduce fees
    - Fast-track permits for applicants facing imminent threats
    - Fund mental health resources to address root causes of violence

  • Judiciary
    - End partisan balance rule for Supreme Court appointments; focus on legal qualifications

  • Disability Rights
    - Support inclusive housing, healthcare, education, employment, and abuse prevention
    - Work with nonprofit and community organizations to serve the intellectually/developmentally disabled

Background and Experience

Jack Ciattarelli is a lifelong New Jerseyan, born in Somerville and raised in Raritan, with deep roots in the state and a background in business, accounting, and public service. He holds both a B.S. in Accounting and an MBA in Finance from Seton Hall University and is a Certified Public Accountant (inactive). Ciattarelli built a successful career as an entrepreneur in medical publishing and has served at every level of New Jersey government—on the Raritan Borough Council, the Somerset County Freeholder Board, and in the State Assembly (2011–2018).

In 2021, he ran a competitive campaign for governor, outperforming expectations and helping Republicans gain legislative seats across the state. Now on his third run for governor, Ciattarelli brands himself as a common-sense conservative focused on tax relief, government reform, public safety, and restoring affordability for working families.