Dunellen Mayor Jason F. Cilento endorsed State Sen. Jon Bramnick (R-Westfield) for governor Tuesday.
Cilento, a Republican, said the moderate Bramnick has the best shot at winning a statewide election in the Garden State, arguing November’s election results showed New Jersey is a purple state but not a “red stronghold.” Cilento said Bramnick is a thoughtful leader who can effectively handle issues like the high cost of living, NJ Transit woes, and concerns about immigration.
“We cannot assume that Trump’s improved performance in New Jersey alone means we should distance ourselves from moderate Republicans or ignore the fact that our state is truly purple,” Cilento said in a release. “A center-right candidate is needed to win a statewide gubernatorial election.”
The mayor said Bramnick’s history as a moderate Republican in Trenton shows he has the skill to work with Democrats — who he thinks are likely to hold onto the legislature — to achieve pragmatic results.
“Bramnick also has the ability to work with Democrats, who are likely to maintain a majority in Trenton for the foreseeable future due to district lines,” Cilento said in a release. “The ability to negotiate with the opposite side of the aisle and bring them back to the center is a political win—compromise is not a dirty word, and it can be done without sacrificing one’s principles.”
Cilento said the entire Dunellen GOP Organization and the town’s Republican Council members have joined him in endorsing Bramnick.
“Whichever Republican gubernatorial candidate emerges from the primary in June 2025 and faces the Democratic nominee in the general election, we as Republicans—regardless of where we fall on the GOP spectrum—must unite behind them and work to elect them,” he wrote.
See here for a full list of 2025 gubernatorial endorsements.