ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, NJ — Former Mayor Mario Kranjac’s campaign for governor is unraveling under a cloud of controversy. In a dramatic turn of events, Kranjac submitted 2,949 petition signatures—just 449 above the 2,500 required to secure a spot on the ballot. However, the discovery of hundreds of invalid signatures has raised broader concerns calling more than just his candidacy into question.This may sound like an April Fools’ prank, but the real fools appear to be Jack Ciattarelli and Mike Crispi as their scheming is finally exposed for all to see.
The controversy began when volunteers began combing through the public images of the filed books of circulated petitions. “I knew something was ‘off’ about the Kranjac petition books almost immediately,” said one volunteer. Upon a closer inspection by election lawyers, a formal challenge to Kranjac’s petition was filed, alleging that many of the collected signatures were fraudulent. One reviewer remarked, “Just look at this page and tell me that Kranjac or Mike Crispi’s NJ America First Team can ever be trusted again,” as they pointed to a petition signed with the obviously fake name ‘Dick Hard.’ Unbelievable, using the name ‘Dick Hard’ is not a mistake-they were making a mockery of a serious and important civic process!”
Administrative Law Judge Carl Buck III presided over the initial hearing on Monday, March 31, 2025, which lasted more than 12 hours. By the end of the first day, 204 signatures had been invalidated. The situation worsened for Kranjac as the review continued into a second day of hearings on Tuesday April 1st, 2025. Nearly 200 signatures belonged to registered Democrats, making them ineligible. One petition circulator, who swore under affidavit that they were a registered Republican, was later found to be a Democrat. With over 340 signatures ultimately deemed invalid, Kranjac was close to dipping below the threshold required to appear on the primary ballot. As a result, Kranjac was almost disqualified from the race, though he may still be ineligible through an upcoming appeal process.
Adding intrigue to the situation are allegations regarding Kranjac’s motivations for entering the race. Sources suggest that his candidacy was strategically supported by fellow Republicans Jack Ciattarelli and Mike Crispi. The suspected goal was to siphon votes away from Bill Spadea, thereby undermining his campaign. This tactic, often referred to as “controlled opposition,” involves introducing a candidate to divide the opponent’s voter base. Political operatives refer to this unscrupulous tactic as “vote splitting.”
Despite these alleged underhanded maneuvers, the plan appears to have backfired. With Kranjac’s pending removal from the ballot, the scheme has exposed the deceptive tactics at play in the state’s electoral system. This revelation has sparked discussions about the integrity of the electoral process and the lengths to which some candidates will go to manipulate outcomes. Several of Kranjac’s petition circulators also signed in support of Jack Ciattarelli, further validating past allegations of financial corruption between their campaigns. The previous financial scandal may have only been the tip of the iceberg.
The Election Commission previously found that Ciattarelli’s campaign funneled $10,000 to Mike Crispi. Now, the reason for that payment may be coming into focus.
The facade of an NJ America First being a “powerhouse” is crumbling. Mike Crispi and the entire “America First Movement in New Jersey,” declared a large number of ballot petitions they collected for President Trump. No one previously scrutinized the signatures, raising further concerns about past petition filings. Were they legitimate? One has to ask if there were so many fraudulent signatures in this case, maybe this is a tactic he has used before, but just didn’t get caught.
Voters and party officials are demanding a full investigation into whether criminal charges should be filed against those involved. Those signing the petitions are either deemed valid or invalid by the judge, but those circulating the petition books are technically under oath via a notarized affidavit. It is unclear whether criminal charges could be brought against the more blatant violations considering it is a form of election fraud.
The fallout from this episode serves as a cautionary tale about the perils of political gamesmanship. When serving yourself becomes the goal instead of serving the people, ethics are on the chopping block. Again, This may not be an April Fools’ joke, but it is fitting that on this day, Jack Ciattarelli and Mike Crispi are finally exposed as the fools and political charlatans that they really are.
