New Jersey Voter Voting On Tuesday, the state held its 2021 primary election, which, for many residents, marked the return of This is the first face-to-face since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The most striking race is the statewide Republican governor primaries. Four candidates– Jack Ciattarelli, Brian Levine, Phil Rizzo and Hirsh Singh – Is competing to face Democratic current Governor Phil Murphy in November. Murphy seeks a second term in Trenton, and there is no opposition in his party’s primary election.

Voting ends in New Jersey at 8pm on Tuesday night. The results will be published when they are available.

Among the four Republican candidates, Chatarelli and Singh became the front runners of the nomination.

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more: The four candidates in the Republican governor primaries in New Jersey illustrate the party’s divergence over Trump’s influence

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Ciattarelli and Singh are the only two candidates who have raised enough funds to be eligible to participate in the two originally scheduled debates, one of which was not held after the game. Singer refuses to be tested for COVID-19.

In the debate that did take place last month, former state legislator Ciattarelli touted his more than 30-year career in politics, while Singh, an engineer from Atlantic County, portrayed himself as an outsider in Trenton.

A survey Published by public policy polls in May On behalf of the Democratic Governor’s Association, Ciattarelli was only 6 points ahead of Singh, and Singh improved Internal polls in April This put him two points ahead of Ciattarelli.

All 21 county Republican organizations and many current and former state and federal legislators supported Ciattarelli in the primary elections.

Most political experts predict that Ciattarelli will be nominated by the Republican Party today. The Rutgers-Igleton poll released on Tuesday found that 52% of residents said they would vote for Murphy And Catarelli’s approval rate in the general election was 26%. The biggest obstacle for the Republican Party before November was visibility—52% of respondents didn’t know who Ciattarelli was.

At the same time, the Republican primary election turned into a referendum on former President Donald Trump’s time in the White House and his influence on the Republican Party in New Jersey. Trump lost New Jersey in both presidential elections.

Singh and Rizzo completely accepted Trump in the primary election, while Chatarelli and Levine focused their campaigns on issues unrelated to the former president.

During the debate, Singh swore allegiance to Trump and promoted the former president’s false claims about the former president’s victory over Joe Biden in the November election.

Singh also criticized Catarelli for not fully accepting Trump in the primary election, calling the former state legislator a “member of the corrupt RINO political organization.”

In 2015, Catarelli called Trump “a liar who is incompatible with American values” and said that the businessman is not suitable for president.recent, Ciattarelli attended Trump’s Noisy Wildwood Rally in January 2020 And the “Stop Theft” event held in Bedminster, Somerset last November. The candidate for governor denied participating in an attempt to overturn the results of last November’s presidential election.

Rizzo, a pastor from a former businessman from Morris County, took a photo with Trump at Sea Lake Manor in April. The Republican candidate is also a member of the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster.

The former mayor of Franklin Township and Somerset County freedom holder Levine called on the Republican Party to stop arguing about Trump’s role in the Republican Party and instead focus on tax cuts.

The winner of Tuesday’s primary election will seek to become New Jersey’s first Republican governor since former Governor Chris Christie stepped down in 2018 after two terms.

Since 1947, New Jersey voters have elected five Republican governors and seven Democratic governors. However, no Democratic governor has been elected for two consecutive terms since Governor Brendan Byrne in 1977.

All 120 seats in the Democratic-controlled state legislature also voted in New Jersey this year.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, after most residents voted by mail in 2020, New Jersey’s 2021 primary election will mainly be in person. Voters who choose not to vote in person on election day can also use the ballot box and mail-in voting options.

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This story will be updated later on Tuesday night based on the results of the primary election.