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The Republican candidate for New Jersey governor took to social media after former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo conceded the Democratic mayoral primary to Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old democratic socialist.
“Tonight is proof that the modern Democratic Party has lost its mind,” Ciattarelli said in a post on Tuesday, June 24. “To all the residents and business owners of New York City who don’t want a socialist, defund-the-police, antisemitic mayor representing them, I encourage you to move to New Jersey.”
Cuomo had been the front-runner of the race and had been hoping for a comeback after a sexual harassment scandal ultimately led to his resignation after a decade in office, in 2021.
Mamdani, who was born in Uganda and raised in New York City, pulled ahead of Cuomo in a surprise twist that stunned political analysts. He currently represents Queens’ 36th District in the New York State Assembly.
Running on a platform focused on affordability, equity, and public ownership, Mamdani — whose mother is Indian-American filmmaker Mira Nair — is calling for a citywide rent freeze, free buses, city-owned grocery stores, and 200,000 affordable housing units over 10 years.
His progressive vision has won him endorsements from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders, and support from many young voters and renters fed up with NYC’s soaring costs.
But critics, including Ciattarelli, say Mamdani is too far left.
“We’re going to transform NJ into a beacon of commonsense, affordability, economic opportunity, and law and order,” Ciattarelli said, assuming he beats out U.S. Rep. Mike Sherill at the polls in November.
“When I win the governorship in 4+ months... Join us! It’s time!”
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