Republicans are starting to pick sides in the 2021 gubernatorial primary and the field hasn’t even been set. As for me, I will remain solidly on the fence until the field is set.

There are two announced candidates, former Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli and former beauty pageant winner Hirsh Singh. Other potential candidates are Assembly Minority Leader Jon Bramnick, NJGOP Chairman and former Lopatcong Mayor Doug Steinhardt and retired landscaper/washed-up out-of-work actor/keyboard warrior Joe Rudy Rullo.

Ciattarelli, Singh and Rullo all ran four years ago when former Lieutenant Governor Kim Guadagno won the primary. I was a Ciattarelli supporter in that primary and am still impressed at the amount of mileage Guadagno got out of showing up at all the county party rubber chicken dinners before the primary season kicked off.

Ciattarelli obviously decided he isn’t letting that happen to him again because the guy has been everywhere, fundraisers, happy hours, county party breakfasts.

Singh, the other announced candidate, didn’t learn the same lesson. While he’s been seen at a few rallies he mostly stuck with social media and filing lawsuits, though he did recently turn up at the Camden County GOP fourth quarter meeting and holiday party. Maybe his strategy is changing.

But, back to Ciattarelli. The guy has been busy! On December 1 he rolled out a list of “Nearly 90 Republican leaders” across Somerset County who have endorsed his candidacy for Governor. Admittedly, I ignored it because Somerset is Ciattarelli’s home county.

Then, on December 4 I received a Jack4NJ email with the subject “Introduce Myself.” It was from Mike Friedman who served as the lone Republican on Voorhees Township Committee from 2011-2019. Admittedly, I ignored that too, because I already know Mike and didn’t feel the need to be introduced. I probably should have read the email because Friedman informed readers he has “…stepped up to serve as the Camden County Coordinator for the 2021 Jack Ciattarelli for Governor campaign.” That’s a pretty solid endorsement out of Camden County.

Yesterday and the day before, Jack Ciattarelli got my attention! His campaign walked into Hirsh Singh’s Atlantic County backyard and scored some big endorsements. Ciattarelli’s first stop was in western Atlantic County where he scored key endorsements in Hammonton. I know some of the folks in Hammonton, they were very supportive of former Assemblyman Sam Fiocchi in his 2018 bid for Congress. Experience has taught me the Hammonton folks will work hard for who they endorse.

Scoring the Hammonton endorsements wasn’t enough. Ciattarelli then headed east the next day and rolled out endorsements from the “Republican Club of Atlantic City, as well Atlantic City Councilman Jesse Kurtz.”

Atlantic is Singh’s home county and he allowed the only other announced candidate in the race to walk into his county and score big endorsements. Perhaps he should have learned form Jack and made sure to protect his home turf first, just like Ciattarelli did in Somerset.

The field is still taking shape but it looks like 2021 could get exciting, so stay tuned. And, eventually I will learn how to spell Ciattarelli without going to his campaign website to copy and paste it.

Update: New Jersey Globe reports Bramnick will not run for Governor.