Game over in New Jersey.
Republican Jack Ciattarelli formally conceded to incumbent Gov. Phil Murphy on Friday, saying there was no way he could overcome Murphy’s lead with the votes that were still out there:
Republican Jack Ciattarelli formally concedes to NJ Gov. Phil Murphy. He says his campaign team told him yesterday he could not overcome Murphy's lead. “And so, I called Governor Murphy today and congratulated him on his reelection and wished him well."
— Felicia Sonmez (@feliciasonmez) November 12, 2021
But he did take a few swings at Murphy on his way out of the spotlight:
Ciattarelli continues to hit Murphy and state Dems on taxes, saying that there are some people who think taxes are the answer to the state's woes.
"I prefer to see things happen by fixing our problems."
Ciattarelli ran ads for months slamming Murphy's past comments on taxes.
— Felicia Sonmez (@feliciasonmez) November 12, 2021
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And he made it clear that he does not think the election was stolen:
Ciattarelli flatly says that there is "no proof that this election was stolen."
"I hate to lose. … But I'm also someone who believes strongly in our republic and our democratic processes. Enough votes have been counted."
There's no widespread fraud, he says.
— Felicia Sonmez (@feliciasonmez) November 12, 2021
This won’t make some Trump allies happy, namely Arizona State Sen. Wendy Rogers who has been tearing into GOP chair Ronna McDaniel for not doing more to expose any possible fraud in the NJ election:
But you let them steal New Jersey without even trying to stop the fraud. https://t.co/NDm7tuaFit
— Wendy Rogers (@WendyRogersAZ) November 6, 2021
And keep your eyes on Rogers’ account as we get closer to the AG GOP primary for the 2022 U.S. Senate race. President Trump, Rogers, and other Arizona Republicans are pressuring state AG Mark Brnovich, the frontrunner, to bring charges against elections officials. This is from a Trump fundraising email last night:
Stay tuned.
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