List of candidates running for governor in NJ
FOX 5 News Update - Newark Mayor Ras Baraka released, Sheridan Hotel imploded
In this Good Day Weekend news update, we take a look at Newark Mayor Ras Baraka's release after he was arrested at a federal immigration center he was protesting and a potential strike looming from NJ Transit Engineers.
NEW JERSEY - With the New Jersey primary election just two months away, the race to succeed Governor Phil Murphy is heating up.
There are 11 candidates running to fill Murphy's seat as the next governor of New Jersey.
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Who's winning in NJ?
NJ Now
Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop discusses his campaign for New Jersey Governor as well as top issues such as affordable housing and immigration. Also, Congressman Josh Gottheimer talks about his Gubernatorial campaign while also addressing issues such as the Trump administration’s tariff policy and the impact on the economy, as well as affordability for residents. And the panel – including Republican Strategist Jeanette Hoffman, Democratic Strategist Daniel Bryan, Dan Cassino of the Fairleigh Dickinson University Poll, and Terrence McDonald of the New Jersey Monitor – weigh in on Senator Cory Booker’s record-breaking Senate floor speech criticizing the Trump administration’s policies amid talk of a lack of leadership within the Democratic party.
According to The Hill, public polling in the New Jersey gubernatorial race has been limited, but public polling shows Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.) with a small lead, typically within a few points of other candidates.
What we know:
A recent poll from Rutgers' Eagleton Institute found Sherrill leading with just 17%. Despite her lead, she has only recently started running ads, and it remains to be seen if she can break away from the pack.
On the Republican side, a recent Rutgers-Eagleton poll showed Jack Ciattarelli leading Phil Spadea 42% to 12%, with no other candidates breaking into double digits.
Ciattarelli has also received endorsements from the majority of New Jersey county parties, though he was "the only candidate competing in GOP conventions, meaning most are anticlimactic," according to the New Jersey Globe.
Despite the crowded field, former President Trump has stayed out of the race, and many voters remain undecided, leaving the Republican contest fluid.
NJ Gubernatorial debates
The final debates of the 2025 New Jersey gubernatorial primaries are quickly approaching.
The Democratic debate on May 18 will focus on taxes, education, and transportation, while the Republican debate on May 20 will cover taxes, education, and crime.
Here's a little more on the candidates:
Republicans running for governor in NJ
Jack Ciattarelli
Jack Ciattarelli, 63, a Somerville native and business founder, is making another run for New Jersey governor. This time, he has the backing of former President Donald Trump.
Trump endorsed Ciattarelli in a Truth Social post Monday, saying he has gone "ALL IN" on the "Make America Great Again" agenda. The endorsement gives Ciattarelli a boost as he faces two other Trump-aligned candidates and a state senator who has been critical of the former president.
"Jack, who after getting to know and understand MAGA, has gone ALL IN, and is now 100% (PLUS!)," Trump wrote.
Ciattarelli said in a post on X that he was "truly humbled and honored" by the endorsement.
Ciattarelli nearly unseated Governor Phil Murphy in 2021 and finished second in the 2017 GOP primary. This time, he says he is focused on tackling New Jersey’s affordability crisis, citing rising taxes, tolls, and fees.
He plans to cap property taxes at 1% of a home’s assessed value, reform school funding, and push for commonsense solutions to everyday issues. He also supports repealing the state’s sanctuary directive and imposing term limits on legislators.
A recent M3 Strategies poll shows Ciattarelli with an early lead in the 2025 Republican gubernatorial race, ahead of Bill Spadea 26 percent to 13 percent.
Bill Spadea
ATLANTIC CITY, NEW JERSEY - AUGUST 17: Bill Spadea performs onstage during "An Evening of Comedy Starring Joe Gorga" at Harrah's Resort on August 17, 2024 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. (Photo by Manny Carabel/Getty Images)
Bill Spadea, 55, an entrepreneur and host of the Bill Spadea Show on NJ101.5 FM, says he’s "the outsider that Democrats and Establishment Republicans are afraid of."
Spadea says he's focused on New Jersey’s budget and ending the illegal immigration crisis, which he claims costs taxpayers too much.
When asked if he would support his party's winner, he said, "Yes — provided they have pledged to work with the Trump administration to fix New Jersey and the country."
Jon Bramnick
State Senator Jon Bramnick, 71, says he wants to create a government efficiency panel with private residents and business leaders to identify waste and areas for improvement. He's been in the State Senate since 2022 and was an Assemblyman for nearly two decades prior from 2003-2021.
In a recent post on X, he emphasized the need for better healthcare access and ensuring insurance companies pay their bills.
"We must also make sure insurance companies PAY THE BILL !" Bramnick wrote.
Bramnick has also stressed the importance of Republicans winning the governorship.
Mario Kranjac
Mario Kranjac is the former mayor of Englewood Cliffs, serving from 2016 to 2024.
Kranjac filed to run just days before the first GOP gubernatorial debate but remains a lesser-known contender.
Announcing his candidacy on Truth Social, he calls himself a political outsider determined to change Trenton. Since leaving office, he has continued as a corporate attorney and venture capitalist.
In 2016, Kranjac co-founded Dynamk Capital, a life sciences venture capital firm, while continuing his work as a corporate attorney and investor.
Justin Barbera
Credit: Ballotpedia
Justin Barbera, 44, is a contractor and real estate developer from Burlington County and a Republican candidate in New Jersey’s 2025 gubernatorial race.
A Marlton native, Barbera’s career includes work as a general contractor, insurance claim mitigator, freight carrier, and owner-operator of a CDL A flatbed and commercial snow service operation.
Barbera has expressed frustration with high taxes and state governance, which he believes provides insufficient return for taxpayer money, according to an interview with the New Jersey Monitor.
As a Trump loyalist, Barbera identifies with the further-right wing of the party and draws on his Christian faith and military upbringing as guiding principles.
Democrats running for governor in NJ
Ras Baraka
Mayor Ras Baraka arrested at ICE facility
A federal prosecutor says the mayor of Newark, New Jersey, has been arrested at a federal immigration detention center whose opening he has been protesting. Alina Habba is interim U.S. attorney for New Jersey. She said on the social platform X that Ras Baraka committed trespass and ignored warnings from Homeland Security personnel to leave Delaney Hall.
Ras J. Baraka, 54, is the current mayor of Newark and a Democratic candidate in New Jersey's 2025 gubernatorial race.
First elected mayor in 2014, Baraka has spent over a decade leading Newark through economic and social changes, including reductions in crime and homelessness, and improvements in infrastructure.
Most recently, he was arrested outside the Delaney Hall federal immigration detention center while protesting its opening.
Mayor Ras Baraka of Newark walks past Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents standing near a gate to Delaney Hall, a newly converted immigrant detention centre, during a protest near the facility in Elizabeth, New Jersey May 7, 2025. The Ma
Baraka claims he was invited to the facility for a press conference and was arrested on the sidewalk, despite not trespassing.
Federal officials say he ignored warnings to leave the facility.
Baraka has been vocal in his opposition to Delaney Hall, arguing that the 1,000-bed detention center should not open due to building permit issues.
As a gubernatorial candidate, Baraka advocates for equity-focused policies, a revamp of the state’s healthcare and budget systems, and solutions to housing, education, and transportation. His campaign centers on justice and progress for New Jersey’s communities.
Steve Sweeney
Steve Sweeney is running for NJ Governor
Former state Senate President Steve Sweeney, 65, has centered his gubernatorial campaign on reforming New Jersey’s budget process and addressing the state’s housing challenges.
With 20 years of public office experience, including more than a decade as Senate president, Sweeney is banking on his experience and commitment to tackling systemic issues.
Steve Fulop
JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY - APRIL 11: Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop speaks during a press conference on April 11, 2025 in Jersey City, New Jersey. Six people are dead after the sightseeing helicopter carrying a family of tourists from Spain crashed in
Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, 47, says he's focused on housing, taxes, healthcare, and education over other campaign issues.
One of his key proposals is a reverse congestion pricing toll, in response to New York City's controversial toll plan.
Fulop suggests that New Jersey could implement similar fees, capitalizing on the state's opportunities for cross-border tolling, especially in areas like Staten Island, Bergen County, and Hudson County.
Josh Gottheimer
'New York owes New Jersey answers': Josh Gottheimer talks congestion pricing taxes
NJ Congressman, gubernatorial candidate, Gottheimer says he doesn't want to hit any more hard-working families with more taxes but says something has to be done about congestion pricing.
Democratic Rep. Josh Gottheimer, 49, says his top priority is cutting taxes and making life more affordable for New Jersey residents.
He's viewed as the most moderate Democratic candidate.
Representing the state’s Fifth Congressional District—spanning parts of Bergen, Passaic, and Sussex counties—Gottheimer has built his platform on easing financial burdens for families and businesses.
Mikie Sherrill
NJ Now
A one-on-one discussion with NJ Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Representative Mike Sherrill. Plus, NorthJersey.com political columnist Charles Stile on the Super PAC money in this year's Governor's race. And, the panel including political strategist Jeanette Hoffman and Dan Cassino of the FDU Poll take on the latest developments in the race for Governor.
New Jersey Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill, 53, says she's focused on tackling the state's high cost of living and fix its economy.
Sherrill, who has represented the 11th District—spanning parts of Essex, Morris, and Passaic counties—since 2018, first flipped the seat from Republican control after former Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen’s retirement. She has since won reelection three times.
If Sherrill resigns from Congress to run, state law requires the governor to call a special election if the seat opens more than 70 days before the general election.
Why you should care:
If Sherrill resigns from Congress to run, state law requires the governor to call a special election if the seat opens more than 70 days before the general election.
Sean Spiller
NJ Now
A look at the Governor’s race in the garden state! Former Republican Nominee in the 2021 Gubernatorial race and a candidate for this year’s GOP nomination Jack Ciattarelli discusses his campaign. Also, former Montclair Mayor and Democratic candidate Sean Spiller talks about his run for the Statehouse. And, Hannah-Marie Kennedy, Principal of the Link Community Charter School in Newark discusses the progress students are making in learning.
Sean Spiller, 49, former mayor of Montclair, is positioning himself as a voice for the working class in the race for New Jersey governor.
Spiller began as a science teacher before rising through the ranks of the New Jersey Education Association, becoming its president in 2021 after eight years on the executive board.
When is the NJ primary election?
Key dates for New Jersey's 2025 primary election:
- June 3: Deadline to apply for a mail-in ballot by mail.
- June 6-8: Early voting period.
- June 9: Deadline to apply for a mail-in ballot in person.
- June 10: Primary Election Day.
Winners of the Republican and Democratic primaries will compete in the Nov. 4 general election. New Jersey and Virginia are the only states with gubernatorial races next year.