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Joe Piscopo announced Wednesday that he will not run for governor of New Jersey and instead will endorse Republican front-runner Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno. Piscopo is shown in a 2015 photo. (Amanda Marzullo | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

(Amanda Marzullo)

TRENTON -- Former "Saturday Night Live" star Joe Piscopo will not run for governor of New Jersey, and will instead endorse the Republican front-runner, Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno.

"We are going to support Kim," Piscopo told NJ Advance Media on Wednesday shortly before going on his morning radio show on 970-AM to make the announcement.

Guadagno had made a pilgrimage to Piscopo's home on Saturday and asked for a sit-down, promising to address his concerns in her campaign if he would agree not to divide the party, Piscopo said.

On Wednesday, Piscopo appeared with Guadagno in tow at a remote broadcast of his radio show at a Salem Broadcasting breakfast in Paramus. After months of flirting with an independent run, Piscopo said that "with a heavy heart" he'd decided not to. However, he quickly added that he would support the lieutenant governor after she'd agreed to adopt many of his initiatives.

Piscopo recounted how he had recently undertaken a listening tour of the Garden State as he mulled a run, and said only one issue leaped to the fore.

"It was all about property taxes. Taxes, taxes, taxes," Piscopo said. "People want to make Jersey affordable."

New Jersey had the highest property taxes in the nation in 2016.

On Wednesday, Guadagno -- who last month announced her plan for what she called a "circuit breaker" to reduce property taxes -- accepted his endorsement.

Under Guadagno's plan, homeowners would get money back if they pay more than 5 percent of their annual income on school taxes. Any taxes above the 5 percent cap would be applied to a homeowner's property tax bill as a credit of up to $3,000.

"I humbly accept that endorsement and I am proud to be part of your team," Guadagno said Wednesday.

Piscopo, a Democrat until 2008, had mulled mounting a bid as a Republican and, after dallying too long, as an independent, running on an odd mix of populism, fiscal conservativism and pro-labor stances.

In meeting with Guadagno on Saturday at his home, Piscopo sought assurances that his initiatives would find purchase within a Guadagno administration. Private-public partnerships to address infrastructure, pension reform, and tax credits to revive Atlantic City, where Piscopo performs regularly, were dear to him.

During their "secret summit" as Piscopo called the meeting, Guadagno agreed to take them all on board, he told NJ Advance Media by phone on Wednesday, paving the way for the endorsement.

"We do believe that New Jersey can be better," Guadagno said in Paramus.

It's unclear if the Piscopo endorsement could be a boon to Guadagno's campaign, given his daily radio show transmits from Hackensack reach into much north Jersey, but attract a largely right-leaning audience.

To win, Guadagno would need to attract unaffiliated voters and Democrats.

His former life as a Democrat and longstanding call for civility between parties could prove persuasive for many unaffiliated voters.

On Wednesday, Piscopo again made exactly that plea.

"We're yelling at each other. We're hating each other," he said. "This is not America. This ain't New Jersey. We want to all be together."

Claude Brodesser-Akner may be reached at cbrodesser@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ClaudeBrodesser. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.