TRENTON — After a tense presidential election year, New Jersey residents will be heading to the polls again this fall to vote for a new governor along with local, county and state representatives. Before they do, they’ll hit the polls June 10 in the Republican and Democratic primaries.
Governor’s races
Gov. Phil Murphy will not be eligible for a third term after being elected in 2018 and winning re-election in 2021.
The first opportunity residents will have to vote in the 2025 gubernatorial election will be June 10 in the primaries.
Six Democrats and five Republicans are on the ballot.
Former Senate president Stephen Sweeney declared his candidacy in 2023 and was the second Democrat to announce his campaign. He served in the state Senate for 20 years from 2002 to 2022, representing District 3 in southern New Jersey.
He lost re-election that year to Republican Edward Durr, who recently dropped out of the race. The Camden native sponsored a 2005 law that allowed the Delaware River and Bay Authority to fund the first ethanol plant in southern N.J.
He became Senate president in 2010 and stepped in as acting governor in December 2010. He was one of the senators to abstain in the voting on same-sex marriage, but after regretting his decision, one of his key moments was sponsoring the legislation to legalize it in New Jersey.
Ras J. Baraka, Steven Fulop and Sean Spiller are three mayors running for governor.
Baraka is in his third consecutive term as mayor of Newark, where he began his municipal experience in 2002 as a City Council member.
Fulop has been mayor of Jersey City since 2013. Before politics, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He unsuccessfully ran for Congress in 2004, but was elected to the Jersey City Council in 2005.
Spiller is president of the New Jersey Education Association and became secretary/treasurer in 2013. He became mayor of Montclair in 2020 and works with numerous organizations. Spiller immigrated to the U.S. from Jamaica and has been living in New Jersey ever since.
Two candidates, Josh Gottheimer and Mikie Sherill, serve in the U.S. House or Representatives. Gottheimer has held the role for the 5th District since 2017 and Sherill was elected to New Jersey’s 11th district in 2019.
Gottheimer’s political experience began early when he worked as a U.S. Senate page at 16 years old.
Before entering politics, Sherill graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and served on active duty for nine years. Working for the U.S. attorney was her first government position before she became an assistant U.S. attorney in 2015.
Four Republicans are running in this election. The GOP has not held the seat since Chris Christie’s time in office from 2010-2018. The position has had a steady back and forth between political parties, while New Jersey tends to lean blue on major political issues.
State Sen. Jon Bramnick and Jack Ciattarelli both began their legislative careers in the General Assembly. Bramnick stepped into the Assembly in 2003 and the Senate in 2022. Ciattarelli served in the Assembly from 2011-2018. This is his third gubernatorial election after a close race against Gov. Phil Murphy in 2022. Both candidates are from New Jersey.
Mario Kranjac is an attorney and an “unapologetic supporter of President Trump.” Kranjac served two terms as mayor of Englewood Cliffs starting in 2016. He stepped down from the position because of his firm belief that government terms need to be regulated. Governor is the only New Jersey position that has term-length guidelines.
Bill Spadea is an American radio host, and his political experience began in 2004 when he was the Republican nominee for New Jersey’s 12th Congressional District. He is the founder of the nonprofit the Common Sense Club, which aims to promote conservatism and reduce government size.
Justin Barbera is the final Republican candidate running for governor. He is one of the lesser-known candidates running, and announced in mid-March that he received the minimum number of signatures to be on the primary ballot. His political experience began in 2024 when he unsuccessfully ran in the 3rd Congressional District.
The general election is scheduled for Nov. 4.
State, county and
local primary races
In the race for state Assembly, incumbent Republicans Antwan McClellan and Erik Simonsen are unopposed in the GOP primary for state Assembly’s First District.
Democrats Carolyn Sabo of West Cape May, Carolyn Rush of Sea Isle and Brandon Saffold of Princeton have filed to run for the two two-year terms.
No Democrats filed to run for Cape May County Commission, Cape May County clerk or for the two seats up in Upper Township Committee.
Incumbent Republican Commissioners Bobby Barr and Andrew Bulakowski have filed for the two commission seats with three-year terms.
Longtime County Clerk Rita Rothberg is unopposed on the GOP ballot.
In Upper Township, Victor Nappen II and Tyler Casaccio have filed for the two three-year terms. Nappen was elected in 2022 and Casaccio was appointed to fill the seat vacated late in the fall by Committee member Mark Pancoast. No one filed for the Democratic primary.
– By JULIA DiGERONIMO/For the Sentinel