PHILADELPHIA — Will Donald Trump make an endorsement in the New Jersey GOP primary for governor? Kellyanne Conway thinks so.

Conway, a pollster and former senior adviser to Trump who managed his successful 2016 presidential campaign, told reporters on Friday that she anticipates the president will make an endorsement in the GOP primary. Whether Trump will get involved in the primary has loomed for months over the fiery inner-party race as two candidates focus their fight on who is more loyal to him.

But in Conway’s opinion, the question is less if, and more when.

“I think the odds are that he does.” Conway said of an endorsement on a Zoom call. “ … For me, it’s the timing that is the surprise. He could do it today on his way from Walter Reed to Joint Andrews. He can do it before the next debate. He can do it next month. And so I think it’s the timing when he feels he should inject himself, but he likes to also see what’s going on.”

GOP primary rivals Jack Ciattarelli, a former state representative who lost by about three points behind Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy in the 2021 general election, and former radio host Bill Spadea have both been courting Trump’s favor in hope of his endorsement. Conway, along with Trump’s former admaker Larry Weitzner, support Ciattarelli and co-lead a political action committee dedicated to attacking Spadea.

Conway publicly split with Trump over whether she told Trump in 2020 that he lost that election, but she’s remained one of his Garden State allies. Conway, who was born and raised in South Jersey, is a vocal defender of Trump and weighed in on his search for a vice presidential nominee last year.

Supporters of Ciattarelli speculated about an endorsement from the president at a GOP conference a few weeks ago after Ciattarelli met with Trump at his Bedminster country club, but political insiders admitted that no one knew what Trump would do. Spadea met with the president at Bedminster the next day, but it appeared he was not given the authorization to post about it on social media like Ciattarelli did. Conway was at Bedminster the very next day for a fundraiser for her super PAC.

Spadea’s team has been quiet about his recent visit with the president, but Spadea has been open about seeking Trump’s endorsement.

“I asked him for support, but I also told him that if he decides to stay out of the primary, I want him on June 11 to help us beat the Democrats,” Spadea told The Inquirer earlier this week, referring to the start of the general election season after the June 10 primary.

Spadea said he would “love to have Trump’s endorsement,” but since the president can’t vote for him he is “going to all the communities around the state who do have a vote, and we’re explaining our practical solution for the state.”

The potential power of a Trump endorsement in the GOP primary

Conway argued Friday that Trump supporters who could have voted for Ciattarelli stayed home in the 2021 gubernatorial election and that his campaign has evolved to reach more of Trump’s base this time around.

Conway said she has spoken to Trump about the race and shared metrics about the candidates’ schedules, alliances, and ground game. She said the president likes seeing polls and ads, and hearing from a “long list” of New Jerseyans that he consults. Trump’s spokespersons have previously declined to comment on the race and did not respond on Friday when asked about an endorsement.

“If he looks at the metrics he usually looks at, he would endorse Ciattarelli,” she said. “And they really did get on very well.”

Spadea, meanwhile, has circulated a photo posing with Trump at his 2024 Wildwood rally. He has also touted hosting Trump on his radio show where the president said on air that Spadea has had his back “since the beginning.”

Conway said she knows that pro-Spadea folks are also in Trump’s ear, and that the president “has all the facts and he’ll make his decision,” emphasizing that she does not want to “get ahead” of him.

“The fact that he takes this seriously is a tell,” Conway said. “It’s why he hasn’t endorsed yet, and he knows that that ultimately will turn the race one way or the other.”

The MAGA endorsement is a touchy topic

Trump seems to have developed some trust issues when it comes to his endorsement.

Conway said that Trump has been “burned” by candidates in the past who initially seemed like a good fit on paper, using 2022 Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano as an example as a candidate the president regretted endorsing. Mastriano has floated potentially running for Pennsylvania governor again or teaming up with Treasurer Stacy Garrity.

Conway said that Trump wants to support candidates who have strong work ethic — not just people who align with his policies and think the endorsement will do the work for them.

“They get a Trump endorsement ... and they practically fall asleep,” she said. “They think that’s all you need to do to win. That is not true. It is the worst thing you can do with President Trump’s endorsement.”

Despite her allegiances to Ciattarelli, Conway also suggested she could see Trump endorsing Spadea or even another candidate in the five-person primary if the right person calls him with the right argument at the right time.

“Do I think he could endorse either one? Yes, I do. I do,” she said. “ ... But I think that Jack’s on his mind. Jack’s in his sight.”

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