Vivek Ramaswamy’s gubernatorial election in Ohio isn’t until next year, but in the meantime he’s looking to assist another Republican hopeful, this time in New Jersey. Voters in the Garden State will soon select a new governor to replace term-limited Democrat Phil Murphy. There’s a solid chance that will be Jack Ciattarelli, the Republican who came close to beating Murphy in 2021.
On Wednesday, Ramaswamy, who’s been campaigning throughout Ohio, joined Ciattarelli at the Saddle Brook Diner as part of Ciattarelli’s diner tour.
Greeting Ramaswamy with “a warm New Jersey welcome,” Ciattarelli referred to the entrepreneur as “Mr. Ohio,” and “the next governor of the state of Ohio.”
Addressing the enthusiastic crowd, Ramaswamy pointed out that “New Jersey is a state with a lot of Republicans who just don’t know yet that they’re actually Republicans!” He also referenced Ciattarelli’s endorsement from President Donald Trump, which Ramaswamy said “propelled [Ciattarelli] on this way to now unite this whole state.”
“New Jersey, you guys are about to show this country how it’s done,” Ramaswamy continued before bringing up the state’s recent voting trends. “Just because your neighbors, or your friends, or the people you meet with at the diner used to think one way a few years ago, doesn’t mean it has to stay that way,” he offered to murmurs of agreement.
While then Vice President Kamala Harris won New Jersey’s 14 electoral votes last year, her nearly 6-point win was significantly less than when former President Joe Biden won in 2020 by nearly 16 points.
Ramaswamy noted that the Republican Party is “not just about defeating the Left,” as “we already did that last year.” Instead, they’re “ready to save the country.” He framed the election as “not about right versus left, but right versus wrong” and what it means to be an American. Ramaswamy would later talk even more about what it means to be an American, just as he has done at other events.
“Next year we’re celebrating the 250th anniversary,” Ramaswamy called to mind, relating this upcoming birthday to what he says is “a moral mandate, an obligation to our founders, to our country, to our history, to preserve that for another 250 years.” Ramaswamy stressed, “We’re doing a great job starting with what we won last November, but the next step is the states,” he reminded, differentiating the importance between handling issues in Washington, D.C., and the states.
Ramaswamy also referenced issues affecting New Jersey, including COVID-19, boys participating in girls’ sports, and rising costs as he promoted Ciattarelli as the “one man who is going to take this state of New Jersey to the next level, to show New York across the street, Mamdani’s New York City, how it’s actually done in the United States of America!” He would continue to draw contrasts between New York City under Democrat Zohran Mamdani and New Jersey under a Ciattarelli administration.
Ramaswamy also encouraged attendees to “back Jack,” with the crowd chanting along, as a way to “restore merit,” “bring down costs,” “restore freedom of speech,” “wake up the American dream,” and “make New Jersey great again.” Ramaswamy used that as a segue to note that the state is hungry for change.
Ramaswamy reminded the crowd he has his own gubernatorial race coming up next year, urging New Jersey to set an example. “We’re going to Ohio next year, but you’ve got to pave the path this year, we’re counting on you,” he told Ciattarelli.
Ramaswamy made similar comments to Fox News. He told the outlet that elections in New Jersey and Virginia would “set the table for even bigger and more decisive victories, hopefully in places like Ohio next year.”
Ramaswamy’s perhaps most important reminder came towards the end of his appearance with Ciattarelli, as they were beginning to take questions, and that was on the importance of voters turning out, especially for off-year elections. “We’re going to get the job done by showing up,” he said, pointing out it “doesn’t matter” that this isn’t a presidential year, since it is “a governor’s year. And if you’re successful here, you’re paving a path for 2026 across the country, showing them how we’re going to do this.”
During his remarks, Ciattarelli not only expressed confident optimism about his own race, but down-ballot races to achieve a Republican majority in the state House. He acknowledged this hasn’t been the case in the Garden State for 30 years. “So,” he told Ramaswamy, “We’re going to win this race this year, we thank you for your help, and then we’re coming to Ohio to help you win.”
The New Jersey gubernatorial race between Ciattarelli and Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill is considered “Lean Democratic,” while Ohio’s is considered “Likely Republican.”
