SEAPORT PIER, NORTH WILDWOOD – An appearance by gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli was the highlight of a three-hour Republican rally on the Wildwoods boardwalk that blended Christianity and politics ahead of the Nov. 4 election.
Speakers took cues from televangelists as they spoke, stressing at many points that a New Jersey “red wave” would represent a return to morality and righteousness in the Democrat-dominated state.
Most of the speeches, including the headlining speech by Ciattarelli, were light on policy specifics but high on energy. Matt Maher, pastor at Landmark Church in Ocean City, set the tone at the beginning of the event.
“It’s not about red or blue, it’s about right or wrong. It’s about good and evil. It’s about a return to righteousness,” he told a cheering crowd. Maher’s speech set a refrain that was echoed by many of the event’s speakers: God is on the side of the Republican Party. “During the last administration, America was prostituted. God showed us mercy and blessed us with a Trump presidency,” he said.
Ciattarelli’s speech began shortly after. He walked out backed by a WWE-style hype track to a crowd of roughly 500 people.
His appearance followed a rowdy Oct. 8 debate between him and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mikie Sherrill. Sherrill accused Ciattarelli of having a hand in the deaths of tens of thousands of people, citing materials published by his publishing company, which promoted opioids as a non-addictive treatment for pain.
Ciattarelli said Oct. 9 that he would “pursue defamation claims” following Sherrill’s debate comments. Some members of the crowd shouted “Sue her!” during his 18-minute speech, which was filled with jabs at Sherrill. “Here’s one of the big differences between me and my opponent: I know where the hell Wildwood is. I know where Cape May County is,” he said.
He riffed on themes like lowering taxes and transgender representation in schools but spent much of his time joking with the crowd. A comment that “You’ll get back your plastic bags” was a hit. He spent several minutes lamenting the absence of “wooden spoon discipline” among today’s parents.
“A wooden spoon builds character! This summer, when I was walking the boardwalk, I saw a guy with a shirt that said ‘I survived the wooden spoon.’ I went up to him and got that vote,” he said.
A portion of his speech, as with those of other speakers, was dedicated to transgender athletes and the presence of transgender people in public life. He spoke about repealing Policy 5756, a state educational policy that advises against automatically informing parents if a child asks to change his or her name or pronouns in a school setting.
A banner plane, flying a “No Kings Vote Blue Nov. 4” message, flew over Seaport Pier shortly before Ciattarelli spoke. Carolyn Rush, a New Jersey state Assembly candidate, said that the banner was coordinated by a “group of concerned citizens of Cape May County” who “chipped in what they could afford – from as little as $10 to as much as $100” to pay for the banner.
Weaving on and off the stage all evening was Michael Donohue, a former New Jersey Superior Court judge, brother of former Middle Township Mayor Tim Donohue and chairman of Cape GOP, the event’s organizing body.
Donohue’s name was prominent at the event. He served as the event’s emcee, complete with outfit changes between speeches. He briefly wore a custom baseball-style jersey that read “CapeGOP.” This costume-esque apparel matched the crowd, a large portion of which donned American-flag apparel and high-crown baseball hats that have become a signature of the MAGA movement.
For sale at the event’s official merchandise booth was a “TRUMP 2028” hat worn by several attendees. CapeGOP fashioned its own Trump-style hat for the event that read “Make NJ Great Again” on the front and Donohue’s name on the back.
The event was billed as a “Return to the Wildwoods,” referencing two rallies held by President Donald Trump on the beaches by Morey’s Piers, one in 2020 and another in 2024. Many local politicians attended the event, including nearly every member of the Board of County Commissioners, some of whom were decked out in Trump-related gear.
Security was tight. Members of Cape May County’s SWAT team assisted North Wildwood police at every entrance.
Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-2) spent roughly a third of his speech discussing transgender issues. He said, without citation, that schoolteachers across America are encouraging students to become transgender. He said that USAID, America’s international humanitarian agency, was gutted because of its commitment to things like “transgender opera” and “drag queen shows around the world.”
“What they do is wrong, it is bizarre, it is weird, it is just not normal. It is not American.” Van Drew said. The latter half of his speech was dedicated to the idea of “American exceptionalism,” which he said has been replaced by “globalism” on the left.
“America is a special gift from God. We are a unique country. We are the leaders, we are the fighters. We drive the train; we are not the caboose. We light the way through darkness,” he said.
Van Drew spent part of his speech recounting a recent conversation with Trump. Upon uttering the president’s name, the crowd erupted in chants of “Trump! Trump! Trump!”
He closed his improvised speech by engaging his audience in a series of call-and-response questions. “Is America the greatest nation that has ever existed? Do we believe in American exceptionalism? Are we gonna win this election?” he asked the crowd, which roared back.
Other local figures also took the stage, including Rita Rothberg, county clerk. She spoke out against “universal mail-in voting” and what she called “2020 mania,” when mail-in ballots were made more accessible and the timeframe in which ballots could be cast was extended by executive order across many states, including New Jersey.
Charlie Kirk was top-of-mind for folks at the event.
A large framed artwork of Kirk’s face, backed by an American flag, was unveiled to the crowd near the end of the rally. Another easel was undraped to reveal a Christian cross draped by a tattered American flag. Ralliers were encouraged to raise their phone flashlights as Marti Farro, a singer from Toms River, sang a rendition of Ave Maria, a traditional Catholic song, in Kirk’s memory.
Jarrett Branch, a faith leader with Kirk’s organization, Turning Point USA, gave a brief speech that was part sermon and part political rallying cry.
Referring to Democrats, Branch said: “They run from the thunder of truth and are afraid of the burning winds of change. But the rest of us, we rise from the firestorm of liberal lies! We become the flame, an enduring light against the forces of darkness.”
“Do you feel that roar of righteousness across New Jersey?” he asked the crowd. He said that Ciattarelli’s election is part of a “spiritual battle we know we will win in the end.”
Bernadette Hennessy, an attendee from West Wildwood, told the Herald that she came to the rally after hearing about the event from a friend. She was very politically involved in Delaware County before she moved to West Wildwood.
It was her husband’s dream to move to the island, she said, and she is trying to find her bearings after his death a year and a half ago. This event, she said, has motivated her to get more involved with local politics.
“It’s time for change,” she said. “We need to get back to basics in this country: God, family, and country.”
Contact the reporter, Collin Hall, at chall@cmcherald.com or by phone at 609-886-8600, ext. 156
