Jack Ciattarelli wins GOP primary in New Jersey governor’s race

Jack Ciattarelli won the GOP primary in the New Jersey gubernatorial race Tuesday, defeating two other Republicans who had aligned themselves more closely with former President Trump.

The Associated Press called the race with about 66 percent of the vote tallied, with Ciattarelli winning just more than 49 percent of the vote. He surpassed Phil Rizzo, a Baptist minister, and businessman Hirsh Singh, who garnered 25.5 percent and 22.3 percent of the vote, respectively.

Ciattarelli had called Trump a “charlatan” in 2015 and had looked to distance himself from the former president’s personality while embracing some of his policies. Meanwhile, Rizzo and Singh helped clear a path for Ciattarelli by battling each other and touting their pro-Trump bona fides.