Garfield, New Jersey Mayor Everett E. Garnto, Jr. announced Thursday that he is leaving the Democratic Party and endorsing Republican Jack Ciattarelli for governor, marking a significant political shift in one of Bergen County’s largest municipalities.
The announcement came during Ciattarelli’s Garfield Rally. Michael Casey, New Jersey State Director for Early Vote Action, reported on X that the rally was “standing room only as hundreds of Garfield residents were in attendance,” calling it a “MAJOR endorsement for @Jack4NJ in a city that has been a longtime Democrat stronghold.”
Garnto, a retired Garfield police officer who served 29 years on the force and 12 years as president of the local Police Benevolent Association, was elected to the city council in November 2024 as a Democrat. He later became mayor after his colleagues selected him for the position. The lifelong resident also served as a school board member and vice chair of the Garfield Housing Authority before winning elected office.
The party switch carries weight in Garfield, home to more than 30,000 residents and the fifth-largest municipality in Bergen County. Although Murphy narrowly carried the city by just over 150 votes in 2021, Donald Trump won Garfield by nearly nine points in 2024. Local voter registration trends and Garnto’s own admission that he supported Trump in the last presidential election underscore the city’s shifting political climate.
During Thursday’s rally, Garnto declared that “the state is broken,” citing economic pressures and rising costs of living as key reasons for abandoning his longtime party affiliation. He pointed to what he described as “sky-high taxes, soaring electric bills, and less safe communities” as the consequences of Gov. Phil Murphy’s policies over the last seven and a half years. “New Jerseyans deserve better,” Garnto told the crowd, saying Ciattarelli represented “the right leader at the right time.”
The news followed Ciattarelli’s own comments earlier in the week on Fox News, where he previewed the endorsement while criticizing Murphy’s record. “People are upset all across the state with Phil Murphy’s failed policies in the last seven and a half years, all of which have been supported by my opponent,” Ciattarelli stated. He singled out the rise in electricity bills, arguing that Murphy’s energy agenda has left residents “paying through the nose.” Ciattarelli added: “Over the weekend, I was endorsed by a Democratic mayor. Tomorrow I’ll be endorsed by another Democratic mayor who’s switching parties to the Republicans.”
Garnto is the second Democratic mayor in recent days to support Ciattarelli, following Dover Mayor James Dodd. He joins Jamel Holley, a former Democratic assemblyman and mayor of Roselle, who crossed party lines earlier this summer to back the Republican nominee. Ciattarelli has also been backed by the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 825 and received a “Complete and Total Endorsement” from former President Donald Trump.
Addressing attendees on Thursday, Ciattarelli said Democrats joining his effort demonstrates that voters across the political spectrum are dissatisfied with the state’s leadership. “It’s not just Republicans who are crying out for change,” Ciattarelli remarked. “It’s unaffiliated, independent voters and yes, even moderate Democrats who’ve come to the realization that this current administration has failed.” He added that his campaign’s focus remains on “getting up and down this state” to present voters with a vision for lowering costs and restoring affordability.
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