NJ GOP Candidate Ciattarelli Gets Surprise Visit from Army Son Before Tight Election

On the eve of New Jersey’s Nov. 4 gubernatorial election, Republican nominee Jack Ciattarelli was surprised at a rally in Totowa when his son, U.S. Army Capt. Jake Ciattarelli, flew in from deployment in Kuwait to embrace him. The reveal was orchestrated by Passaic County GOP Chair Peter Murphy at Murph’s Tavern and drew loud cheers and chants of “USA” as Jake, in uniform, said he planned to stay through Thursday to support his father’s campaign. Jake, a logistics officer assigned to the 10th Mountain Division and an Army captain since 2023, has factored into Ciattarelli’s politics before and was a small-circle surprise planned by campaign aides. The moment served as a morale boost in a race viewed as one of the year’s most competitive off‑cycle contests, with polls showing Ciattarelli locked in a tight contest with Democrat Rep. Mikie Sherrill (RealClearPolitics average shows Sherrill with a narrow lead). Ciattarelli joked about his son possibly forgetting a mail‑in ballot, posted the event’s energy on X, and the race has drawn national attention and outside spending.