Ocean County mayors, former legislators endorse Ciattarelli

More than half a dozen Ocean County Republicans endorsed Jack Ciattarelli for governor on Monday, according to a release. 

The list, headlined by former state Sen. Chris Connors and former Assemblywoman DiAnne Gove, also includes five mayors from the county.

Long Beach Township Mayor Joseph Mancini, Barnegat Light Mayor Kirk Larson, Surf City Mayor Francis Hodgson Sr., Ship Bottom Mayor William Huelsenbeck, and Beach Haven Mayor Colleen Lambert also endorsed the former assemblyman for governor.

“I have gotten to know Jack well and I can tell you, he’s far and away the best choice to be our next Governor,” Connors said in the release. “Jack gets it. He’s a small business owner, a CPA, and a true Jersey guy. He knows what needs to be done to make this state more affordable, to end Trenton’s reckless spending, and make it easier for our families and retirees to stay here.”

Connors left the Legislature at the end of 2024 after announcing his retirement in 2023. Gove didn’t run for re-election after failing to win the line in 2023’s Ocean County GOP convention.

“I’m tired of watching candidates parade around pretending to be conservatives only to turn their backs on us when they get elected,” Gove said. “Jack Ciattarelli is the real deal—a proven conservative who can’t be bought and won’t back down.”

Ciattarelli has also received the endorsement of Ocean County Commissioners Bobbi Jo Crea and Virginia Haines.

“As Shore Mayors, we’ve been on the front lines as Trenton politicians and special interests have tried to destroy our way of life with offshore wind turbines, saddled us with a school funding formula that treats our taxpayers horribly, and otherwise ignored the needs of our residents,” the mayors said jointly.

Find a full list of endorsements in the 2025 New Jersey gubernatorial race here.