Ciattarelli wins Lakewood in spite of Murphy’s Vaad endorsement

Republican gubernatorial nominee Jack Ciattarelli has won Lakewood, one of the fastest-growing municipalities in the state, over Gov. Phil Murphy in tonight’s gubernatorial election.

The fact that the township, which gave Donald Trump his highest percentage of the vote of any municipality in the state last year, voted for a Republican wouldn’t be news – except that Murphy had the endorsement of the Vaad, a coalition of Orthodox Jewish leaders who have immense influence in the predominantly Jewish township.

With the Vaad’s endorsement in 2017, Murphy was able to narrowly win Lakewood, a feat that most other Democrats couldn’t hope to replicate. But Ciattarelli’s victory this year is consistent with other statewide results that show Murphy trailing his own numbers from four years ago.