Ciattarelli picks Sheriff Gannon as GOP nominee for lieutenant governor

Jack Ciattarelli, the Republican nominee for governor of New Jersey, has selected Morris County Sheriff James M. Gannon as the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor, underscoring Ciattarelli’s emphasis on law and order, one of his top issues.

The announcement was made Wednesday morning at Johnnies Tavern in Boonton, where Gannon resides and where he began his law-enforcement career.

The 64-year-old Gannon is the son of a New York City police officer. He started his law-enforcement career as a police officer and rose through ranks to become deputy chief of investigations in the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office. He also served on the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force. Gannon was first elected sheriff in 2016 and has been elected three times by wide voting margins. He is known as someone who can garner votes.   

Gannon has strong support in largely Republican Morris County, part of which is represented by Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill, the Democratic nominee for governor. A Rutgers-Eagleton poll in early July gave Sherrill a 20-percentage point lead over Ciattarelli, however, she led the GOP candidate by just 2 percentage points when voters were asked who would be the better candidate on crime and safety.

Among other law and order issues, Ciattarelli has stated his opposition to so-called sanctuary cities, threatening to withhold municipal funds from those towns that insist on maintaining that status. He said he will fix bail reform loopholes that he believes let repeat offenders walk free.

Gannon has worked on school safety initiatives and led training sessions for law enforcement agencies worldwide. When he became sheriff, he created the Morris County Cold Case Unit to pursue unsolved crimes. Gannon worked with the FBI on the team investigating the kidnapping and murder of Exxon executive Sidney Reso.

As sheriff, Gannon emphasized community policing, addiction services, and an enhanced response to people experiencing a mental health crisis. Gannon helped launch Hope One, which won national recognition for targeting opioid addiction, mental health issues, and homelessness through a mobile outreach program.

He was also an advocate for modernizing technology for law enforcement. His office was among the first in the state to mandate the use of body-worn cameras. 

Before becoming sheriff, Gannon served as the global head of Security Risk at Novartis Pharmaceuticals.