Trenton, New Jersey. Days after losing to Jack Ciattarelli in a landslide on election day, Bill Spadea has yet to accept his loss in the Republican primary for governor of New Jersey.
Spadea has not contacted Ciattarelli to congratulate him or stated whether he will back the Republican contender in this November’s general election, despite the overwhelming majority. Instead, Spadea posted on social media on Monday, mentioning backroom insiders in both parties, to say that he is prepared to continue our struggle for ALL the people.
We’re glad to let the haters down, but we’re not going anywhere. In another post on Sunday, Spadea said, “Ignore all the nastiness and misinformation coming from the other side.”
Throughout the campaign, the former radio personality faced criticism for a number of issues, including his public criticism of President Donald Trump after Trump endorsed Ciattarelli.
The $266,000 in payments made from campaign funds to Spadea’s personal LLC, including the last $16,000 check issued only hours before voting closed, further raised questions about his candidacy.
Spadea also came under fire for his connections to George Gilmore, a political strategist from South Jersey who had been convicted of tax evasion. Gilmore works for a lobbying business that has connections to people in the powerful Norcross political network.
Future plans and campaign silence
Apart from messages on social media, Spadea has not yet publicly commented on the election results. He has not declared that he intends to officially challenge the outcome or run as a third party. He stated on Sunday that there would be announcements about future plans soon, but he did not provide any details.
Shortly after polls ended, Ciattarelli, the GOP’s 2021 nominee and a former state assemblyman, announced his victory. Since then, he has been focusing on Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill as his new opponent.
State Republicans have taken notice of Spadea’s quiet, and some have urged for party unity before the November election.
According to unofficial figures from the New Jersey Division of Elections, Ciattarelli won every county and received over 60 percent of the vote in the Republican primary, which attracted a larger-than-expected turnout.
Spadea has continued to be active on social media, sharing updates frequently and critiquing party officials.
