Trump speaks at tele-rally to boost GOP's chances in governor's race in New Jersey

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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump urged his supporters in New Jersey late Friday to cast a ballot for the Republican candidate for governor, Jack Ciattarelli, before early voting starts in the state on Saturday.

Trump said he would campaign with Ciattarelli after he returns from a trip to Asia that started Friday, though no concrete plans have been announced.

On a call with supporters and at the White House, Trump said Ciattarelli will focus relentlessly on reducing energy costs, repeating the cost-of-living message he emphasized in a Truth Social post earlier this week.

“He knows energy better than anybody I know outside of the energy business,” Trump said. He noted his own ties to New Jersey, where he owns a golf club and spends many of his weekends in the summer.

As he departed the White House to fly to Malaysia, Trump said Ciattarelli is a “great candidate.”

“Jack is going to be great and he’s going to cut your energy bills in half, and she’s going to double your energy bills so New Jersey, just on energy bills alone ... on energy alone, I think Jack should win,” Trump said, referring to Mikie Sherill, the Democrat running against Ciattarelli.

Trump spoke for about 10 minutes at a telephone rally in hopes of boosting the GOP's chances of defeating Sherill and flipping the seat next month.

Trump urged voters with mail ballots to send them in, then returned to his longstanding criticism of mail ballots and cast doubt on the integrity of the election.

“Sometimes I think you’re better off in person, but you do it the way you want to do it,” Trump said. “You got to make sure the votes are counted, because New Jersey has a little bit of a rough reputation, I must be honest.”

Trump had previously endorsed Ciattarelli, who has embraced the support of the Republican president and given him an “A” grade for his performance in the White House, but has not campaigned alongside him. Ciattarelli said the president's team has offered “anything that you think can help the campaign.”

New Jersey and Virginia are the only two states holding gubernatorial contests on Nov. 4 and are seen as bellwethers for the current administration and a way to test the opposition's strengths and weaknesses ahead of the midterms.

Former President Barack Obama will appear on Nov. 1 with Sherrill and Democrat Abigail Spanberger, who is running for governor of Virginia. Trump has not announced plans to campaign with Winsome Earle-Sears, the Republican nominee in Virginia.

Recent polling suggests Sherrill, a four-term member of Congress, former Navy pilot and one-time prosecutor, holds a slight lead.