Jack Ciattarelli’s Final Pitch In New Jersey: ‘This Is A Change Election. I’m A Change Agent.” 

In one of his final pitches to voters, New Jersey Republican Jack Ciattarelli says “people want change across the state,” and he’s the answer. 

The candidate said that the failed policies of the outgoing governor, Democrat Phil Murphy, have hit residents in their pocketbooks — and his opponent, Democrat Mikie Sherrill, will lead to more of the same. Residents are “very frustrated with Phil Murphy’s failed policies,” Ciattarelli told The Daily Wire in a wide-ranging interview. “The taxes — they’ve increased every single year he’s been in office. The exorbitant spending in our state government — our state budget’s gone from $36 billion to almost $60 billion, a 64% increase.”

Concerning housing, Ciattarelli said the state has “got an overdevelopment crisis in our suburban communities, but yet an acute housing shortage in our urban areas.”

“Your electricity bill is going through the roof,” he continued. “These are all things that people are really pissed off about and when they’re pissed, they want change. And this is a change election. I’m a change agent.” 

Mere weeks ago, Ciattarelli was seen as an underdog with likely no chance in the blue state. But the race has only continued to tighten. While Sherrill was ahead of Ciattarelli by more than 20 points during the summer, nearly all polls have Ciattarelli within the margin of error heading into Election Day.

WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW ON MORNING WIRE

The tightening race has left Sherrill scrambling, calling in the “big guns” — former President Barack Obama — for campaign help at the finish line. Meanwhile, it’s turned Ciattarelli’s already high-energy campaign to 11. 

Ciattarelli stressed to The Daily Wire that it’s not only economic issues that Jersey residents want addressed — but crime, as well. 

“We don’t have public safety in Jersey,” he said. “Nonviolent crime has spiked because we don’t let our local police do their job. The break-ins, the car thefts, the flash mobs, public education.”

Ciattarelli said he’d unleash law enforcement to do their jobs, as they’re trained, and end Democrat-backed cashless bail. 

“Cashless bail in New Jersey has created a professional criminal who’s learned how to game the system,” the Republican said. “And you talk to your local cops: ‘arrest, release, repeat’ is real. And it’s demoralizing to our local cops to have to arrest the same person over and over again because they keep getting let go because of cashless bail. These are all things that need to change to keep our community safe.”

Related: Dem Gov Candidate Mikie Sherrill Says She’d Mandate LGBTQ Content In NJ Classrooms

Additionally, the state’s “sanctuary” illegal immigration policy would be reversed on day one, he said.

“Number one, there will be no sanctuary cities in New Jersey,” Ciattarelli said. “When I’m governor, we will not be a sanctuary state. I’m reversing that policy on Day One. I can do that by executive order. And I’m never going to tell a local mayor or police chief, they can’t work in partnership with a federal agency to keep their community safe. If that’s what they want to do, that’s a local decision. And I would support it 100%. Whatever it is that mayor and police chief decide to do to keep their community safe.” 

As for his opponent, Ciattarelli views Sherrill as a “hyper-partisan” who is trying to position herself as a moderate.

“She voted with Joe Biden 100% of the time, supported his open border policy, supported his inflationary policies, voted no on the Laken Riley Act,” he said. “She voted yes twice — this mother of two daughters — to allow biological boys to participate in girls’ sports, but yet says she’s for women’s rights. That vote undermines Title IX.”

“I just see contradiction after contradiction and hypocrisy after hypocrisy because she’s pandering to the far-left,” he added. “But yet, she’ll try to portray herself as not only a ‘Jersey girl’ — she hasn’t been here all that long — but also a moderate. She’s not a moderate.”

More than a million New Jersey residents have already participated in early voting, with Election Day on Tuesday.