Ciattarelli roadmap to victory: Don't bring a knife to a gunfight

If you saw the movie "The Untouchables," you may remember the line about not bringing a knife to a gunfight.

It's an old adage about lacking preparedness or simply showing up without the proper equipment for the job. It applies to the current race for New Jersey governor.

There have been ups and downs for both candidates throughout the contest, with both earning endorsements from elected officials and local leaders.

You may have seen recently that the Ciattarelli campaign has even been successful with a small number of endorsements from local Democratic elected officials. A casual observer might say, "Good for you, Jack," showing that you can work across the aisle with Democrats.

One of those was Nick Sacco.

AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey

The Sacco endorsement: a bad look

Now, you probably have no idea who he is, even if you are paying attention. Let's start by saying, Nick Sacco is everything that is wrong with New Jersey politics.

He’s been the mayor in North Bergen, Hudson County for 30 years. He was also the state senator there for 30 years. And not surprisingly this connected insider also worked for the schools and got paid $262,000 a year in taxpayer dollars.

As if that’s not enough, he has 10 relatives working for the school district, pulling in a combined 800 thousand per year in taxpayer dollars.

It’s gross, it’s wrong, and it's what Republicans should be fighting against.

So, when Sacco endorsed Jack, it set off alarm bells for some of us. On the surface, like other Democratic endorsements, it seemed positive. It even showed Jack might win some votes in Hudson County of all places, where, after years of totally incompetent and absentee Republican leadership, you can barely find a GOP voter.

Jack jumped in with both feet, got the photo op, a one-day headline, but now he's got a problem, and a big one.

AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah

How Ciattarelli walked into the Brian Stack vs. Nick Sacco feud

The problem is that when Jack stood with Nick Sacco, he picked sides in a Hudson County political blood feud between two bitter local rivals, Nick Sacco and Brian Stack. And Jack’s advisors had him pick the absolutely wrong side.

Brian Stack is the mayor of Union City and the state senator there. His influence has been growing all throughout Hudson County.

Brian Stack isn’t just another mayor or county power broker. He runs the best Get Out The Vote operation in the entire state of New Jersey, bar none.

And this Sacco-Stack feud played out in the Democratic primary this past June, with Sacco and Stack naturally supporting different candidates, of course: Sacco supporting hometown Hudson County guy Steve Fulop, and Stack endorsing the winner of the primary, Mikie Sherrill.

When I say that Sacco’s influence is nearly non-existent, and Stack’s has grown into a juggernaut, you can see it clearly in the Democratic primary results for governor in their hometowns to see what I’m talking about.

Photo by Nicholas Cappello on Unsplash

Stack’s machine vs. Sacco: the numbers tell the story

In Nick Sacco’s hometown of North Bergen, Sacco’s endorsed candidate for governor, Steve Fulop, a Hudson County guy from just a few towns over, eked out a 38% to 35% win over Sherill, just a 3-point win.

In Brian Stack’s hometown of Union City, Stack’s endorsed candidate for governor, Mikie Sherrill, someone from the suburbs who most in town likely had never heard of, Sherrill beat Fulop 68% to 9%.

It's simple math: Sacco delivered a 3-point win for a Hudson County guy, Steve Fulop. Stack delivered a 59-point win for his candidate.

I tell you this to show you how strong Brian Stack is, and by choosing to stand with Nick Sacco, Jack Ciattarelli just stuck his finger right in that guy’s eye.

Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images & Google Maps

Can Ciattarelli fix his Hudson County mistake before Election Day?

Because now, Brian Stack is motivated to deliver a massive win for Mikie Sherrill in Hudson County.

How motivated is Brian Stack?

Ever since Jack stood with Nick Sacco, there have been posts every single day on social media of Brian Stack firing up his local grassroots army, knocking on doors, delivering signs and literature.

This is Stack last week, take a listen:

And this is Stack on the first day of Early Voting:

That is the sound of a guy who has been motivated by Jack Ciattarelli and his insider advisors to squeeze every last vote out of Hudson County he can. And we’ve seen Stack do it before.

Back in 2009, Chris Christie won only 21 percent in Union City and lost Hudson County by 52 thousand votes. In 2013, Brian Stack endorsed Chris Christie, and what happened?

Christie won 59 percent in Union City and only lost Hudson County by 9 thousand votes.

That guy, the one who almost flipped solid blue Hudson County to red Republican for Chris Christie, that is the guy Jack Ciattarelli just picked a fight with, all for a one-day photo opp and a headline.

I've been involved in Jersey politics for a long time and this move makes zero sense to me, and judging by the flood of notes and calls I'm getting from politicians and elected officials, most have been left scratching their heads

It seems like Jack is getting as good of advice from his Hudson County advisor, Jose Arango, as he got from his "Inner Circle Muslim."

Remember the guy who reassured the crowd that he doesn't take "money from Jews?"

Maybe this isn't another mistake? Could it be purposeful undermining?

Let’s not forget this, Hudson County Republican Chairman Jose Arango, a Jack guy from the beginning, somehow works for Democrat Mayor and former candidate for governor Steve Fulop.

It’s probably no surprise that Jack was steered to support Sacco, who also supported Fulop for governor. Funny how all of that works, isn’t it? By the way, does the Hudson County Republican chairman even live in Hudson County anymore?

Hmmm, Someone just might want to check into that.

So, Jack, you need to fix this, if it is even possible at this point. The good news is that Brian Stack is a reasonable guy and is friends with a lot of people across the aisle, with people like Kevin O’Toole, who used to serve in the state senate with Brian Stack. With people like Assemblyman Al Barlas, who serves in the State Legislature with Stack. Jack, you’ve got to have these guys call Stack.

You have got to turn down the heat on this.

It is not by accident that the Union City numbers for the first day of early voting on Saturday showed the third-highest turnout of all towns in New Jersey.

And the numbers came in 9 to 1 in favor of Democrats.

Here’s the current reality: with Brian Stack’s GOTV machine in overdrive, working against you, you're not just losing votes in Hudson County.

You’re watching the window close fast on any shot at winning next week.

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