Lakewood is one of the fastest-growing towns in New Jersey and has an interesting political makeup. The town voted for both Donald Trump and Phil Murphy.

And now Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli visited the town looking to bolster support in what could be a Republican stronghold in this year’s election.

“I’ve always been one to work at the grassroots level. I want to be on the streets every day with hardworking New Jerseyans right here in Lakewood as well, including the Jewish community,” Ciattarelli said.

The former state assemblyman made numerous stops in the town, including at the Motor Vehicle Commission office on Route 70. He vowed to fix the agency, which has been plagued with issues.

“People have been terribly inconvenienced by lines and now long waits when they schedule an appointment," he said.

He made stops at the shops in the downtown business district and held a news conference off Clinton Avenue.

“I think we're going to see a big turnout in Lakewood, I think family values are going to win the day,” said Republican state Sen. Bob Singer.

Lakewood’s population grew by 40,000 residents in the past 10 years. Many of those residents are socially conservative Orthodox Jews. The town voted overwhelmingly for Republican Donald Trump in the 2016 and 2020 elections.

“The important thing is Jack represents the same things they do. I’m talking about the importance of choice, the importance of school choice,” Singer said.

“You’ll see a voucher program out of me, very much along the lines of what we saw in Ohio, which has been a huge success,” Ciattarelli said.

The candidate is also vowing to cut what he says is a bloated state budget, trimming expenditures and the state workforce by 5% to 10%. He says that it can be done through attrition, rather than layoffs.

“We need a strong showing up and down the state, and I believe we’re going to get that,” Ciattarelli said. “Every town is equally important. Every county is equally important.”

The highly influential council of 11 local elders, known as the Lakewood Vaad, has endorsed Gov. Murphy for re-election. But the group has also endorsed the Republicans running for state Senate and Assembly.

Election Day is Nov. 2. Early voting begins Oct. 23.