Ciattarelli takes notes from Trump playbook at New Jersey beach rally

WILDWOOD, N.J. – There’s a strong argument that Donald Trump and Charlie Kirk are the two most important conservative figures in the country over the last decade, and New Jersey GOP gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli is clearly taking note.

In an age dominated by screens and isolation, Trump and Kirk have always understood how powerful real human presence and interaction is, and that was on full display in the South Jersey beach town Friday night.

DAVID MARCUS: FOR JACK CIATTARELLI, SOUTH JERSEY AND VOTER ENTHUSIASM ARE THE KEY TO VICTORY

By my count, about 800 people showed up to the boardwalk. Among them was 24-year-old Alex, wearing a gold MAGA hat and sunglasses.

“It’s kind of taking advantage of humanity,” he told me, adding: “We forget the common ground that can exist when we’re fighting online.”

Diane and Renee were with their spouses at the event, and Diane told me about the live rallies: “I think it brings us more together and says, ‘Let’s go!’ I feel like it makes you feel.”

Dominic, a teacher in his 50s, told me he was often disappointed by the education agenda. He noted that Kirk used the live events to “ignite something in America’s youth.”

It wasn’t just voters who saw the value of in-person rallies, but candidates as well. “President Trump had his first Wildwood rally here and it was a huge success,” Billy Prempeh, who lost the race for Congress in New Jersey’s 9th District last time and is running again, told me.

When it came to problems, energy prices, as well as taxes and crimes, were at the top of the list. But there was an electricity that transcended any policy considerations and turned the event into an urgent call to “take back New Jersey.”

At Seaport Pier, just before the entrance to the boardwalk stage, voters chatted at tables and enjoyed a buffet courtesy of CapeGOP, which organized the event and provided the amiable host Mike Donahue.

Columnist David Marcus writes that New Jersey gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli’s rally in Wildwood on Friday night may have lacked the dimension of a Trump event, but it had similar energy.

The Turning Point USA table, Kirk’s most tangible legacy, was very lively. Young organizers were drawing up plans to cover schools in the Garden State.

It was fun, it was festive, it was hope.

These days, when you get 100+ Democrats together in the same place, everything starts to catch fire; mostly American flags. But according to the GOP, these events are not just peaceful; They are really cheerful.

This image of the happy conservative warrior was represented by everyone I spoke to, and this image of the GOP is heard extremely well across the country.

New Jersey GOP gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli takes questions from reporters after the debate on October 8, 2025 in New Brunswick, N.J. (Paul Steinhauser – Fox News)

In fact, another part of the secret sauce that makes Trump and Kirk’s rallies so successful is that they often take place in parts of the country where relatively few people have ventured. Trump preferred to go to the airport of a small town instead of a big city for the rally. Kirk’s events covered the so-called transition zone.

There’s no escaping the feeling of being in a tent revival at conservative political rallies these days. God is on the lips of many speakers and participants – unashamedly – ​​not as something to be tolerated, but as something to be celebrated.

In a post-COVID world, Republicans across the country would be wise to put more emphasis on these live events, complete with music, food, and maybe even a few beers.

What matters here is not just the 800 people who came to Wildwood on Friday, but everyone they will tell it to. This is the kind of enthusiasm that turns one voter into many voters.

CLICK FOR OTHER OPINIONS OF FOX NEWS

Although Ciattarelli aroused the crowd admirably, it was Scott Presler, the GOP get-out-the-vote guru with his dark, flowing mane, who caught the crowd’s most attention and fielded the most requests for selfies. These are incredibly valuable voters.

Charlie Kirk understood, and President Trump understands, that live events, rallies, and just being in good company with each other means a lot to people. As Democrats increasingly succumb to angry invective, the GOP’s fun becomes a powerful counterpoint.

Trump floated the idea of ​​holding a national midterm convention next year. Not only should Republicans do this, but they should also make a big splash; The American dream of a family-friendly amusement park is something the entire country can admire.

A month after Kirk was assassinated at his event in Utah, speakers and the boardwalk crowd this weekend stood unyielding and unafraid against those who sought to harm them. They defended their party, their country, and Charlie Kirk, as well as Jack Ciattarelli, hoping to convince voters that a happy conservative warrior could lead the Garden State once again.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM DAVID MARCUS