Jack Ciattarelli, the GOP nominee for New Jersey governor, says on his website he opposes vaccine schedules but said in the debate he supports the schedule for certain diseases.
Jack Ciattarelli, the GOP nominee for New Jersey governor, says on his website he opposes vaccine schedules but said in the debate he supports the schedule for certain diseases. New Jersey candidate for governor Republican Jack Ciattarelli returns to the stage to be interviewed by news media following his debate with Democrat Mikie Sherrill at Rider University Sunday, Sept.
21, 2025.Jack Ciattarelli, the Republican nominee for New Jersey governor, is scheduled to be honored at an event featuring an anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist onHis presence is now uncertain, according to a source familiar with the matter, but his face is still plastered on online fliers alongside anti-vaccine activists for the NJ Public Health Innovation PAC Gala at the Gramercy at Lakeside Manor in Hazlet.“His presence at this year’s Gala underscores the growing recognition that health freedom, informed consent, and parental rights must be front and center in New Jersey’s future,” NJPHI PAC posted on Facebook about Ciattarelli. “As our state heads into a pivotal election, Jack’s participation is a powerful signal that these issues matter at the highest levels of leadership.”that oppose vaccine requirements for students going to public school. He has maintained on his campaign website that he “will oppose a one-size-fits-all vaccination schedule” and that he wants to make it easier for parents to opt their kids out of vaccinations for school through a philosophical exemption . Suing Trump, remembering Charlie Kirk, and ending school segregation: What you missed in the N.J. governor’s race debate At the debate, moderator Micah Rasmussen cited measles deaths across the country and noted that Ocean County is now below the vaccination rate to maintain herd immunity for the disease.Ciattarelli said he supports “the vaccine schedule with regard to measles, mumps, rubella, whooping cough, and polio.” “We’ve got to get above the threshold for herd immunity to keep our communities safe,” he said. “The obligation of any governor on Day One after they take their oath of office is the public health and safety.” When asked after the debate to clarify whether his position against a vaccine schedule has changed, Ciattarelli said that “children have to be vaccinated for things like measles, mumps, rubella, polio, and chickenpox.” He also reiterated that a community falling below herd immunity is dangerous and that his job would be to “protect the public health and safety.”Sherrill argued that children are dying of curable diseases “because we are not appropriately following medical research vaccine protocol” and said she would be part of the new Northeast Public Health Collaborative, in which governors from states including New Jersey and Pennsylvania are working together on public health policy in light of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump’s secretary of health and human services, dismantling federal vaccine recommendations.A Republican governor in NJ could ‘alter reality’ for ‘parental rights’ advocates, so they’ve formed a coalition for the governor’s race Hyland, who is leading an opening prayer at the gala, interpreted Ciattarelli’s answer as supporting the current vaccine schedule but said the candidate “never mentioned or even implied in any way that he would force people to get vaccinated if they had a certain religious reason of why they should be exempted from it.”responsible for almost two-thirds of anti-vaccine content on social media that year by the Center for Countering Digital Hate, which called them the Disinformation Dozen. She sold online education courses that said social distancing had no use in a pandemic and mask-wearing policies are a type of “mind control,” Business Insiderin an interview with Politico that mumps, measles, and rubella are not particularly dangerous to children, contrary to extensive medical evidence. On Steve Bannon’s, Holland compared mandated vaccines to slavery. The group hosting the gala calls her a “courageous health freedom leader.”Holley, a former Democratic Assembly member from Union County, was described by Politico in 2020 as “New Jersey Democrats‘ most high profile anti-vaccination activist.” The gala organization calls him “a powerful voice for the MAHA movement.” Holley, a Kennedy adviser, alienated Democratic allies with his anti-vaccination rhetoric surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. Sherrill said in a statement that she is “appalled that Jack is taking his cues from fringe activists, conspiracy theorists, and the likes of Donald Trump and RFK, Jr. whose extreme policies will result in reduced access to vaccines and more of our children catching preventable illnesses.” “People are getting sick because of politicians like Jack who campaign with anti-vaxxers and spread dangerous lies about our public health, and it’s clear we can’t trust him to keep our kids safe and healthy,” she added. In a statement, Ciattarelli spokesperson Eric Arpert asserted that the GOP nominee’s “position has been consistent” on vaccines. “As Governor, he will oppose a one-size-fits-all vaccination schedule, support medical and religious exemptions for vaccines, and create a parental rights ombudsman in state government to give parents more of a voice on key issues, including those seeking a philosophical vaccine exemption,” Arpert said. “At the same time, Jack personally supports individuals getting vaccinated and appreciates the important role vaccines play in protecting the public, he added. Ciattarelli has been open about his own decision to get vaccinated — even sending out photos of himself getting his COVID vaccine during his 2021 campaign for governor — but has argued that the “my body, my choice”should apply to vaccines. The subject of vaccines is becoming increasingly important for state leaders while the federal government changes long-held stances on vaccinations and shifts under the guidance of Kennedy, who has leaned on unsubstantiated and debunked theories. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, both Democrats, have each recently established statewide guidelines that break with new federal policy on COVID and Tylenol. Trump claimed without definitive scientific proof that using the pain reliever during pregnancy is dangerous,that departs from the new federal guidance and said that private insurers will continue to cover all of the vaccines covered under the 2024 recommendations.
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