The mayor of Bergen County, New Jersey’s fifth-largest municipality, formally switched parties on Thursday, announcing his support for Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli.

Garfield Mayor Everett E. Garnto Jr. said he felt compelled to leave the Democratic Party, declaring that “the state is broken.” His announcement came during a rally at a Garfield gymnasium, where several hundred people gathered to hear from both Garnto and Ciattarelli.

“For the last seven and a half years, [Gov.] Phil Murphy’s policies have left us with sky-high taxes, soaring electric bills, and less safe communities,” Garnto said. “New Jerseyans deserve better. Jack Ciattarelli is ready to turn this state around.”

Garnto noted that he supported Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election. A former school board member, he also spent twelve years as president of the Garfield Police Benevolent Association Local 46.

Trump won Garfield by about nine points in 2024, while Murphy narrowly carried the town by three points in the 2021 gubernatorial race.

Ciattarelli, a former assemblyman, will face U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-Montclair) in the November general election. He also highlighted the backing of Dover Mayor James P. Dodd, a Democrat, arguing that such endorsements reflect growing frustration among moderate Democrats with state party leaders.