New Jersey gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2025 (June 10 Democratic primary)

Elections in New Jersey, 2025

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← 2021
Governor and Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey
Democratic primary Republican primary General election
Election details
Filing deadline: March 24, 2025
Primary: June 10, 2025 General: November 4, 2025
How to vote
Poll times: 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voting in New Jersey
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Lean Democratic Sabato's Crystal Ball: Lean Democratic Inside Elections: Lean Democratic
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New Jersey executive elections
Governor Lieutenant Governor

Ballotpedia reports: NJ gubernatorial election, 2025

Mikie Sherrill (D) defeated five other candidates in the Democratic primary for governor of New Jersey on June 10, 2025. Those candidates were: Ras Baraka (D), Steve Fulop (D), Josh Gottheimer (D), Sean Spiller (D), and Stephen Sweeney (D). Incumbent Gov. Phil Murphy (D) was term-limited. Click here for detailed results.

In a February episode of On the Ballot, our weekly podcast, Politico’s Matthew Friedman said fiscal issues would play a significant role in the elections: "Property taxes [in New Jersey] have historically been high and a huge issue. We're going to have a really tough budget this year. Even though revenues are on pace, compared to where they usually are … the inflationary pressures I think are starting to hit a lot of the costs."

Fairleigh Dickinson University's Dan Cassino said the primary was, at the time of the election, "really wide open for any of the candidates, and that’s really unusual, to have a whole bunch of candidates who have a plausible path forward. It’s likely to lead to higher voter turnout in the primary, because we actually have a meaningful choice."

Sherrill was elected to represent New Jersey's 11th Congressional District in 2018. She previously worked as a lawyer in private practice and the U.S. Attorney's office for the District of New Jersey. Sherrill also served in the U.S. Navy. Sherrill said, "Let's be the state that builds more housing, let's fix the economy, let's make life more affordable for hardworking New Jerseyans, from health care to groceries to childcare."

Baraka was elected mayor of Newark in 2014. He previously served on the Newark City Council and worked as a high school teacher and principal. Baraka’s campaign website said, "By prioritizing economic growth, educational advancement, housing accessibility, and inclusive policies, he seeks to empower every resident to thrive and contribute to the state’s prosperity."

Fulop was elected mayor of Jersey City in 2013. He previously served on the Jersey City Council and worked in finance. Fulop also served in the U.S. Marine Corps. Fulop said, "New Jersey isn’t just where I’m from — it’s the place that shaped who I am. Our state deserves a leader who truly understands the struggles and aspirations of its families, and I’m ready to fight every day to deliver the future they deserve."

Gottheimer was elected to represent New Jersey's 5th Congressional District in 2016. He previously worked as a speechwriter for President Bill Clinton (D) and as a Microsoft strategist. Gottheimer said he was "running as the 'Lower Taxes, Lower Costs Governor.' My No. 1 priority is to bring down taxes and make life more affordable."

Spiller had, at the time of the election, been the president of the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) since 2021. He previously served as the mayor of Montclair and on the Montclair City Council. Spiller also worked as a teacher. Spiller said he would build off his work as mayor by "[continuing] investing in public education, [making] New Jersey a more affordable place to live, and [ensuring] that the economy works for the working class."

Sweeney was an ironworker who represented District 3 in the New Jersey Senate from 2002 to 2022. He served as Senate president for 12 of those years. Sweeney also served on the Gloucester County Board of Chosen Freeholders. Sweeney ran on his experience, saying in a campaign advertisement, "I will always put New Jersey's kids, working families, and seniors first. You know that's who I'll fight for because that's who I've always fought for."

Leading up to the primary, the county Democratic parties held conventions to decide which candidates to endorse. Politico's Madison Fernandez wrote, "There are undoubtedly some benefits to having the backing of a county party. Some of the counties provide valuable resources, like on-the-ground organizing. A win can also establish momentum for the candidates." However, this was the first gubernatorial election in which county endorsements did not determine a candidate's placement on the ballot. Sherrill had won the endorsements of 10 counties, Sweeney had won the endorsements of six, and Gottheimer had won the endorsement of two. Two other counties decided not to endorse a candidate, and another endorsed multiple candidates.

For more information on the county endorsement process, click here.

As of May 27, 2025, The Cook Political Report, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and Inside Elections rated the general election as Lean Democratic. The last Republican governor was Chris Christie, who left office in 2018.

In New Jersey, the gubernatorial nominee is selected in the primary. The gubernatorial nominee then chooses a lieutenant gubernatorial running mate, and they run together on a single ticket in the general election.

This page focuses on New Jersey's Democratic Party gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial primary. For more in-depth information on New Jersey's Republican gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial primary and the general election, see the following pages:

• New Jersey gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2025 (June 10 Republican primary)
• New Jersey gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2025

Election updates

This section includes a timeline of events leading up to the election, such as debates, polls, and noteworthy endorsements.

• April 11, 2024

  GQR conducted a poll of 603 likely voters showing Baraka at 20%, Fulop at 9%, Gottheimer at 5%, Sherrill at 23%, Sweeney at 12%, and 31% undecided. The margin of error was ± 4.0 percentage points.

• July 30, 2024

  Renaissance Campaign Strategies conducted a poll of 802 likely voters showing Baraka at 12%, Fulop at 7%, Gottheimer at 8%, Sherrill at 18%, Spiller at 2%, Sweeney at 8%, and 45% undecided. The margin of error was ± 3.46 percentage points.

• Nov. 21, 2024

  Baraka, Fulop, Spiller, and Sweeney participated in a candidate forum hosted by NJ PBS.

• Dec. 11, 2024

  Global Strategy Group conducted a poll of 800 likely voters showing Baraka at 9%, Fulop at 4%, Gottheimer at 9%, Sherrill at 24%, Spiller at 5%, Sweeney at 11%, and 38% undecided. The margin of error was ± 3.5 percentage points.

• Dec. 11, 2024

  Upswing Research & Strategy conducted a poll of 803 likely voters showing Baraka at 13%, Fulop at 8%, Gottheimer at 10%, Sherrill at 25%, Spiller at 7%, Sweeney at 8%, and 29% undecided. The margin of error was ± 3.46 percentage points.

• Jan. 23, 2025

  Emerson College Polling conducted a poll of 437 likely voters showing Baraka at 8%, Fulop at 4%, Gottheimer at 7%, Sherrill at 10%, Spiller at 8%, Sweeney at 7%, and 56% undecided. The margin of error was ± 4.6 percentage points.

• Jan. 28, 2025

  Public Policy Polling conducted a poll of 615 likely voters showing Baraka at 9%, Fulop at 9%, Gottheimer at 5%, Sherrill at 16%, Spiller at 11%, Sweeney at 9%, and 41% undecided. The margin of error was ± 4.0 percentage points.

• Feb. 2, 2025

  Baraka, Fulop, Gottheimer, Sherrill, Spiller, and Sweeney participated in a debate hosted by The New Jersey Globe, On New Jersey, and Rider University's Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics.

• Feb. 13, 2025

  MDW Communications conducted a poll of 789 likely voters showing Baraka at 10%, Fulop at 5%, Gottheimer at 5%, Sherrill at 16%, Spiller at 10%, Sweeney at 3%, and 56% undecided. The margin of error was ± 3.0 percentage points.

• March 10, 2025

  GBAO conducted a poll of 800 likely voters showing Baraka at 14%, Fulop at 10%, Gottheimer at 9%, Sherrill at 20%, Spiller at 15%, Sweeney at 8%, and 24% undecided. The margin of error was ± 3.5 percentage points.

• March 24, 2025

  MDW Communications conducted a poll of 935 likely voters showing Baraka at 12%, Fulop at 9%, Gottheimer at 5%, Sherrill at 14%, Spiller at 8%, Sweeney at 5%, and 47% undecided. The margin of error was ± 3.0 percentage points.

• April 24, 2025

  Global Strategy Group conducted a poll of 900 likely voters showing Baraka at 11%, Fulop at 13%, Gottheimer at 14%, Sherrill at 19%, Spiller at 11%, Sweeney at 5%, and 27% undecided. The margin of error was ± 3.0 percentage points.

• May 12, 2025

  Baraka, Fulop, Gottheimer, Sherrill, and Sweeney participated in a debate hosted by NJ PBS and WNYC Radio.

• May 13, 2025

  MDW Communications conducted a poll of 1,100 likely voters showing Baraka at 17%, Fulop at 13%, Gottheimer at 7%, Sherrill at 21%, Spiller at 7%, Sweeney at 5%, and 30% undecided. The margin of error was ± 3.5 percentage points.

• May 14, 2025

  StimSight Research conducted a poll of 409 likely voters showing Baraka at 21%, Fulop at 19%, Gottheimer at 10%, Sherrill at 31%, Spiller at 9%, Sweeney at 9%, and 1% undecided. The margin of error was ± 4.9 percentage points.

• May 15, 2025

  Emerson College Polling conducted a poll of 386 likely voters showing Baraka at 11%, Fulop at 11%, Gottheimer at 11%, Sherrill at 28%, Spiller at 10%, Sweeney at 5%, and 24% undecided. The margin of error was ± 4.9 percentage points.

• May 18, 2025

  Baraka, Fulop, Gottheimer, Sherrill, and Sweeney participated in a debate hosted by The New Jersey Globe, On New Jersey, and Rider University's Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics.

• June 10, 2025

  Sherrill defeated Baraka, Fulop, Gottheimer, Spiller, and Sweeney in the general election. Click here for detailed results.

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View all

Candidates and election results

Note: The following list of candidates is unofficial. The filing deadline for this election has passed, and Ballotpedia is working to update this page with the official candidate list. This note will be removed once the official candidate list has been added.

Governor

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of New Jersey

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for Governor of New Jersey on June 10, 2025.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mikie Sherrill	34.0	286,244
		Ras Baraka	20.7	173,951
		Steve Fulop	16.0	134,573
		Josh Gottheimer	11.6	97,384
		Sean Spiller	10.6	89,472
		Stephen Sweeney	7.1	59,811

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 841,435
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Congressional map

Voting information

See also: Voting in New Jersey

On the Ballot takes an early look at 2025's gubernatorial elections.

Election information in New Jersey: June 10, 2025, election.

What was the voter registration deadline?

• In-person: May 20, 2025
• By mail: Postmarked by May 20, 2025
• Online: May 20, 2025

Was absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

Yes

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

• In-person: June 9, 2025
• By mail: Received by June 3, 2025
• Online: N/A

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

• In-person: June 10, 2025
• By mail: Postmarked by June 10, 2025

Was early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What were the early voting start and end dates?

June 3, 2025 to June 8, 2025

Were all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, was a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When were polls open on Election Day?

6:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. (EDT)

Candidate comparison

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Ras Baraka

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: 

• Mayor of Newark (Assumed office: 2014)
• Newark Municipal Council, South Ward (2010-2014)
• Newark Municipal Council, At-Large (2005-2006)

Biography:  Baraka received a bachelor’s degree from Howard University and a master’s degree from St. Peter’s University. His professional experience included working as an English and history teacher for Newark Public Schools and as the principal of Central High School in Newark.

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Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

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On education, Baraka said he would “create unified school districts and give diversity bonuses to schools that expand their enrollment through diversity.”

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Baraka said he would “support the Immigrant Trust Act currently in the legislature and ensure local law enforcement agencies do not serve as arms of federal immigration enforcement.”

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Regarding housing, Baraka said he would “establish incentives for developers to build mixed-income housing, increase funding for first-time homebuyer assistance programs, and target resources to historically underserved communities.”

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Show sources

Sources: Next City, "New Jersey Governor Candidates Answer Our Questions on Segregation & Equity," January 28, 2025; NJ Urban News, "Ras Baraka," February 17, 2023

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Governor of New Jersey in 2025.

Steve Fulop

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: 

• Mayor of Jersey City (Assumed office: 2013)
• Jersey City Council, Ward E (2005-2013)
  

Biography:  Fulop received a bachelor's degree from Binghamton University and master's degrees from New York University and Columbia University. His professional experience included working at Sanford C. Bernstein, CitiGroup, and Goldman Sachs. Fulop also served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2002 to 2006.

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Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

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Fulop said he would "build on New Jersey's successes in K-12 traditional public schools, while focusing heavily on reshaping higher education and special needs education opportunities."

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On healthcare, Fulop said he would work to “expand out-of-network mental health coverage for those stuck on endless waitlists, and reexamine hospital mergers that drive up costs while cutting vital services in vulnerable communities.”

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Fulop said he would increase affordable housing “by focusing on real incentives for developers who build near transit hubs, overhauling outdated tax abatement policies, and replicating success stories like Jersey City’s Bayfront project, which sets aside 35% of units as affordable.”

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Show sources

Sources: Steven Fulop Camapign Website, "Education in New Jersey," accessed February 26, 2025; Next City, "New Jersey Governor Candidates Answer Our Questions on Segregation & Equity," January 28, 2025; LinkedIn, "Steven Fulop," accessed February 12, 2025

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Governor of New Jersey in 2025.

Josh Gottheimer

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: 

• U.S. House of Representatives, New Jersey District 5 (Assumed office: 2017)
  

Biography:  Gottheimer received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a J.D. from Harvard University. His professional experience included working as a speechwriter for President Bill Clinton (D) and a Microsoft strategist.

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Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

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Gottheimer said he would be “willing to work with anyone to get stuff done for Jersey, if it’s good for our state, and doesn’t compromise our values.”

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As part of his Tax Cut Plan, Gottheimer said he would support policies such as “cutting property taxes for everyone by nearly 15%” and “implementing a new “Family Tax Credit” for every Jersey middle class family with kids or senior parents they’re taking care of.”

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Gottheimer said he would take “ major steps to protect reproductive freedom, keep IVF accessible, eliminate maternal mortality, and call attention to rare diseases impacting women.”

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Show sources

Sources: Josh Gottheimer Campaign Website, "About," accessed February 12, 2025; Josh Gottheimer Campaign Website, "Cutting property and income taxes," accessed February 12, 2025; Josh Gottheimer Campaign Website, "Protecting reproductive freedom," accessed February 12, 2025; Josh Gottheimer Official Website, "About Josh," accessed February 12, 2025

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Governor of New Jersey in 2025.

Mikie Sherrill

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: 

• U.S. House of Representatives, New Jersey District 11 (Assumed office: 2019)
  

Biography:  Sherrill received a bachelor's degree from the U.S. Naval Academy, a master's degree from the London School of Economics, and a J.D. from Georgetown University. Her professional experience included working as a lawyer in private practice and in the U.S. Attorney's office for the District of New Jersey. Sherrill also served in the U.S. Navy from 1994 to 2000.

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Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

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Sherrill said she would "expand law enforcement efforts to take illegal guns off of our streets, preventing violent criminals from legally purchasing firearms, and enhancing requirements for the safe storage of firearms particularly in places where children are present."

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Regarding the cost of living, Sherrill said she would "focus on making housing more available and more affordable, improving transparency and cutting costs in our health care sector, and expanding competition to prevent price gouging at the supermarket."

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Sherrill said she would "expand access to contraception and IVF services so that every New Jerseyan has affordable access to the family planning services they need."

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Show sources

Sources: Mikie Sherrill Campaign Website, "Public Safety and Justice," accessed February 12, 2025; Mikie Sherrill Campaign Website, "Affordability," accessed February 12, 2025; Mikie Sherrill Campaign Website, "Abortion and Reproductive Rights," accessed February 12, 2025; Mikie Sherrill Official Website, "Biography," accessed February 12, 2025

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Governor of New Jersey in 2025.

Sean Spiller

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: 

• Mayor of Montclair (2020-2024)
• Montclair City Council, Third Ward (2012-2020)
  

Biography:  Spiller received a bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University and a master’s degree from Ramapo College of New Jersey. His professional experience included working as a high school science teacher in the Wayne Public Schools. He also served as president of the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA).

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Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

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Spiller said he would “be a champion for our workforce, unions, and the right to collectively bargain better wages and living conditions for New Jerseyans.”

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On education, Spiller said he would work to “make sure that every school in this state achieves the excellence every student deserves and has the opportunity to thrive and succeed.”

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Spiller said he would “fight back against Project 2025 and its attempts to ban abortions, contraceptives, and IVF, and to its plan to have the government track pregnancies to persecute women.”

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Show sources

Sources: Sean Spiller Campaign Website, "Issues," accessed February 12, 2025; Next City, "New Jersey Governor Candidates Answer Our Questions on Segregation & Equity," January 28, 2025; New Jersey Education Association (NJEA), "President," accessed February 12, 2025

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Governor of New Jersey in 2025.

Stephen Sweeney

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: 

• New Jersey Senate, District 3 (2004-2022)
• Gloucester County Board of Chosen Freeholders (1997-2010)
  

Biography:  Sweeny’s career experience included working as an ironworker. He was also a member of the International Association of Bridge, Structural and Ornamental Ironworkers Local 399.

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Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

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On education, Sweeney said he would support “a first-class education system, from pre-K through 12th grade, and a range of opportunities for higher education and training, right in New Jersey.”

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Sweeney said he would address the cost of living in the state by “cutting taxes, building affordable housing, and eliminating wasteful spending.”

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Regarding healthcare, Sweeney said he would “fight to lower our costs and increase the availability of high-quality healthcare in New Jersey.”

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Show sources

Sources: Steve Sweeney Campaign Website, "Issues," accessed February 12, 2025; New Jersey Globe, "A Brief Electoral History of Steve Sweeney," accessed February 12, 2025

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Governor of New Jersey in 2025.

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

No candidate in this race completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign advertisements

This section includes a selection of up to three campaign advertisements per candidate released in this race, as well as links to candidates' YouTube, Vimeo, and/or Facebook video pages. If you are aware of other links that should be included, please email us.

Ras Baraka

View more ads here:

• Facebook

Steven Fulop

April 29, 2025

April 7, 2025

March 30, 2025

View more ads here:

• YouTube
• Facebook

Josh Gottheimer

View more ads here:

• YouTube
• Facebook

Mikie Sherrill

April 17, 2025

April 15, 2025

Nov. 18, 2024

View more ads here:

• YouTube
• Facebook

Sean Spiller

June 14, 2024

View more ads here:

• YouTube
• Facebook

Steve Sweeney

April 15, 2025

March 26, 2025

March 26, 2025

View more ads here:

• YouTube
• Facebook

Debates and forums

This section includes links to debates, forums, and other similar events where multiple candidates in this race participated. If you are aware of any debates or forums that should be included, please email us.

May 18 debate

On May 18, 2025, Baraka, Fulop, Gottheimer, Sherrill, and Sweeney participated in a debate hosted by The New Jersey Globe, On New Jersey, and Rider University's Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics.

• Click here to watch a recording of the event

Click on the links below for summaries of the event:

• NBC News
• The New Jersey Globe
• WFMZ-TV 69 News

May 12 debate

On May 12, 2025, Baraka, Fulop, Gottheimer, Sherrill, and Sweeney participated in a debate hosted by NJ PBS and WNYC Radio.

• Click here to watch a recording of the event

Click on the links below for summaries of the event:

• CBS News New York
• NJ Spotlight News
• The New Jersey Globe

Feb. 2 debate

On Feb. 2, 2025, Baraka, Fulop, Gottheimer, Sherrill, Spiller, and Sweeney participated in a debate hosted by The New Jersey Globe, On New Jersey, and Rider University's Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics.

• Click here to watch a recording of the event

Click on the links below for summaries of the event:

• New Jersey Globe
• New Jersey Monitor
• NorthJersey.com

Nov. 21 candidate forum

On Nov. 21, 2024, Baraka, Fulop, Spiller, and Sweeney participated in a candidate forum hosted by NJ PBS.

• Click here to watch a recording of the event

Noteworthy endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

This section lists noteworthy endorsements issued in this election, including those made by high-profile individuals and organizations, cross-party endorsements, and endorsements made by newspaper editorial boards. It also includes a bulleted list of links to official lists of endorsements for any candidates who published that information on their campaign websites. Please note that this list is not exhaustive. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please click here.

Noteworthy endorsements
Endorser	Ras Baraka	Steve Fulop	Josh Gottheimer	Mikie Sherrill	Sean Spiller	Stephen Sweeney
Government officials
U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D)  source				✔
U.S. Rep. Ed Case (D)  source			✔
U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D)  source	✔
U.S. Rep. Herbert C. Conaway Jr. (D)  source						✔
U.S. Rep. Jason Crow (D)  source				✔
U.S. Rep. Jared Golden (D)  source			✔
U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D)  source				✔
U.S. Rep. Susie Lee (D)  source			✔
U.S. Rep. Sarah McBride (D)  source				✔
U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver (D)  source	✔
U.S. Rep. Jared Evan Moskowitz (D)  source			✔
U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross (D)  source						✔
U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D)  source				✔
U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D)  source			✔
U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi (D)  source			✔
U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres (D)  source			✔
Individuals
Fmr. New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine  source				✔
Fmr. U.S. Rep. Tom Malinowski  source				✔
Fmr. U.S. Rep. Albio Sires  source				✔
Organizations
College Democrats of America  source		✔
College Democrats of New Jersey  source		✔
Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters  source						✔
Emgage Action  source	✔
EMILY's List  source				✔
New Jersey Citizen Action  source	✔
New Jersey Education Association PAC  source					✔
Rutgers American Association of University Professors (AAUP)-American Federation of Teachers (AFT)  source	✔
SEIU 32BJ  source	✔
Workers United Laundry, Distribution and Food Service Joint Board  source	✔

County Democratic Parties' endorsements

Leading up to the primary election, the Democratic and Republican Parties in New Jersey's 21 counties held conventions to decide which candidates to endorse. At the time, Politico's Madison Fernandez wrote, "There are undoubtedly some benefits to having the backing of a county party. Some of the counties provide valuable resources, like on-the-ground organizing. A win can also establish momentum for the candidates."

In past gubernatorial primary elections, county endorsements would also determine candidate placement on the ballot. Politico's Matthew Friedman explained in a February 2025 episode of On the Ballot that New Jersey had traditionally used the county line ballot design rather than an office block ballot design. Friedman said, "In the vast majority of counties, especially the ones with a lot of people in them, New Jersey political parties would endorse a candidate…after they endorse this candidate when it comes to the primary ballot, the way it was structured is there's a column or a row where you start with the highest office, and you go to the lowest office, and you could just check that down."

However, the 2025 gubernatorial primary marked the first one in which the county line ballot design was not used after Gov. Phil Murphy (D) signed A5116 into law on March 7, 2025. The law codified the use of the office block ballot design and abolished the county line ballot design.

The New Jersey Globe's Zach Blackburn and Joey Fox wrote that the Democratic primary results showed the office block ballot design "evened the playing field, but they didn't upend political gravity all on their own."

The maps below details which county endorsements each candidate has won.

Election competitiveness

Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls

Polls are conducted with a variety of methodologies and have margins of error or credibility intervals. The Pew Research Center wrote, "A margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level means that if we fielded the same survey 100 times, we would expect the result to be within 3 percentage points of the true population value 95 of those times." For tips on reading polls from FiveThirtyEight, click here. For tips from Pew, click here.

Below we provide results for polls that are included in polling aggregation from FiveThirtyEight and RealClearPolitics, when available. Click here to read about FiveThirtyEight's criteria for including polls in its aggregation. We only report polls for which we can find a margin of error or credibility interval.

New Jersey gubernatorial election, 2025: Democratic primary election polls
Poll	Date	Baraka	Fulop	Gottheimer	Sherrill	Spiller	Sweeney	Undecided/Other	Margin of error	Sample size	Sponsor
Emerson College Polling	May 11-13, 2025	11%	11%	11%	28%	10%	5%	24%	± 4.9	386 LV	PIX11, The Hill
MDW Communications	May 11–13, 2025	17%	13%	7%	21%	7%	5%	30%	± 3.5	1,100 LV	Ras Baraka
StimSight Research	May 7-10, 2025	21%	19%	10%	31%	9%	9%	1%	± 4.9	409 LV	InsiderNJ
Global Strategy Group	April 1-3, 2025	11%	13%	14%	19%	11%	5%	27%	± 3.0	900 LV	Josh Gottheimer
MDW Communications	March 19-20, 2025	12%	9%	5%	14%	8%	5%	47%	± 3.0	935 LV	Ras Baraka
GBAO	Feb. 27-March 3, 2025	14%	10%	9%	20%	15%	8%	24%	± 3.5	800 LV	Garden State Forward (PAC)
MDW Communications	Feb. 10, 2025	10%	5%	5%	16%	10%	3%	51%	± 3.0	789 LV	Ras Baraka
Public Policy Polling	Jan. 22-23, 2025	9%	9%	5%	16%	11%	9%	41%	± 4.0	615 LV	Working New Jersey (PAC)
Emerson College Polling	Jan. 18-21, 2025	8%	4%	7%	10%	8%	7%	56%	± 4.6	437 LV	Nexstar, WPIX (New York)
Upswing Research & Strategy	Nov. 23-27, 2024	13%	8%	10%	25%	7%	8%	29%	± 3.46	803 LV	Laborers’ International Union of North America
Global Strategy Group	Nov. 20-24, 2024	9%	4%	9%	24%	5%	11%	38%	± 3.5	800 LV	Mikie Sherrill
Renaissance Campaign Strategies	July 13-14, 2024	12%	7%	8%	18%	2%	8%	45%	± 3.46	802 LV	One New Jersey (PAC)
GQR	March 7-12, 2024	20%	9%	5%	23%	-	12%	31%	± 4.0	603 LV	Principled Veterans Fund (PAC)

Race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

• Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
• Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
• Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.
• Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.

Race ratings: New Jersey gubernatorial election, 2025
Race tracker	Race ratings
	10/7/2025	9/30/2025	9/23/2025	9/16/2025
The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter	Lean Democratic	Lean Democratic	Lean Democratic	Lean Democratic
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales	Lean Democratic	Lean Democratic	Lean Democratic	Lean Democratic
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball	Lean Democratic	Lean Democratic	Lean Democratic	Lean Democratic
Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week.

Election spending

Campaign finance

This section contains campaign finance figures from candidates submitted to the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission. Click here to access the reports.

Satellite spending

See also: Satellite spending

Satellite spending, commonly referred to as outside spending, describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.

This section lists satellite spending in this race reported by news outlets in alphabetical order. If you are aware of spending that should be included, please email us.

Election context

Election history

2021

See also: New Jersey gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2021

General election

General election for Governor of New Jersey

Incumbent Phil Murphy defeated Jack Ciattarelli, Madelyn Hoffman, Gregg Mele, and Joanne Kuniansky in the general election for Governor of New Jersey on November 2, 2021.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Phil Murphy (D)	51.2	1,339,471
		Jack Ciattarelli (R)	48.0	1,255,185
		Madelyn Hoffman (G)	0.3	8,450
		Gregg Mele (L)	0.3	7,768
	Submit photo	Joanne Kuniansky (Socialist Workers Party)	0.2	4,012

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,614,886
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Robert Edward Forchion Jr. (Legalize Marihuana Party)
• Justin Maldonado (Independent)
• David Winkler (Independent)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of New Jersey

Incumbent Phil Murphy defeated Lisa McCormick in the Democratic primary for Governor of New Jersey on June 8, 2021.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Phil Murphy	100.0	382,984
		Lisa McCormick (Write-in)	0.0	0

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 382,984
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Roger Bacon (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of New Jersey

Jack Ciattarelli defeated Philip Rizzo, Hirsh Singh, and Brian Levine in the Republican primary for Governor of New Jersey on June 8, 2021.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jack Ciattarelli	49.5	167,690
		Philip Rizzo	25.7	87,007
		Hirsh Singh	21.6	73,155
		Brian Levine	3.3	11,181

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 339,033
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Doug Steinhardt (R)

2017

See also: New Jersey gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2017

New Jersey held an election for governor and lieutenant governor on November 7, 2017. Governor Chris Christie (R) was term-limited and ineligible to run for re-election. New Jersey elects its governor and lieutenant governor together on a joint ticket.

The general election took place on November 7, 2017. The primary election was held on June 6, 2017. The filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in the primary election was April 3, 2017.

The following candidates ran in the election for Governor and Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey.

New Jersey Gubernatorial and Lieutenant Gubernatorial Election, 2017
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Phil Murphy/Sheila Oliver	56.03%	1,203,110
	Republican	Kim Guadagno/Carlos Rendo	41.89%	899,583
	Independent	Gina Genovese/Derel Stroud	0.57%	12,294
	Libertarian	Peter Rohrman/Karese Laguerre	0.49%	10,531
	Green	Seth Kaper-Dale/Lisa Durden	0.47%	10,053
	Constitution	Matt Riccardi	0.32%	6,864
	Independent	Vincent Ross/April Johnson	0.23%	4,980
Total Votes (6385/6385 precincts reporting)				2,147,415
Source: New Jersey Division of Elections

Kim Guadagno defeated Jack Ciattarelli, Hirsh Singh, Joseph Rudy Rullo, and Steve Rogers in the Republican primary.

New Jersey Republican Gubernatorial Primary, 2017
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Kim Guadagno	46.82%	113,846
Jack Ciattarelli	31.08%	75,556
Hirsh Singh	9.76%	23,728
Joseph Rudy Rullo	6.51%	15,816
Steve Rogers	5.84%	14,187
Total Votes		243,133
Source: New Jersey Division of Elections

Phil Murphy defeated Jim Johnson, John Wisniewski, Ray Lesniak, Bill Brennan, and Mark Zinna in the Democratic primary.

New Jersey Democratic Gubernatorial Primary, 2017
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Phil Murphy	48.42%	243,643
Jim Johnson	21.91%	110,250
John Wisniewski	21.57%	108,532
Ray Lesniak	4.83%	24,318
Bill Brennan	2.24%	11,263
Mark Zinna	1.04%	5,213
Total Votes		503,219
Source: New Jersey Division of Elections

2013

On November 5, 2013, Chris Christie won re-election to the office of Governor of New Jersey. On November 5, 2013, Chris Christie and Kim Guadagno (R) won re-election as Governor and Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey. They defeated the Buono/Silva (D), Kaplan/Bell (L), Welzer/Alessandrini (I), Sare/Todd (I), Araujo/Salamanca (I), Schroeder/Moschella (I) and Boss/Thorne (I) ticket(s) in the general election.

Governor and Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey, 2013
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Chris Christie & Kim Guadagno	60.3%	1,278,932
	Democratic	Barbara Buono & Milly Silva	38.2%	809,978
	Libertarian	Kenneth Kaplan & Brenda Bell	0.6%	12,155
	Independent	Steven Welzer & Patricia Alessandrini	0.4%	8,295
	Independent	Diane Sare & Bruce Todd	0.2%	3,360
	Independent	William Araujo & Maria Salamanca	0.2%	3,300
	Independent	Hank Schroeder & Patricia Moschella	0.1%	2,784
	Independent	Jeff Boss & Robert Thorne	0.1%	2,062
Total Votes				2,120,866
Election Results Via: New Jersey Department of State

State profile

Demographic data for New Jersey
	New Jersey	U.S.
Total population:	8,935,421	316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):	7,354	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:	68.3%	73.6%
Black/African American:	13.5%	12.6%
Asian:	9%	5.1%
Native American:	0.2%	0.8%
Pacific Islander:	0%	0.2%
Two or more:	2.5%	3%
Hispanic/Latino:	19%	17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:	88.6%	86.7%
College graduation rate:	36.8%	29.8%
Income
Median household income:	$72,093	$53,889
Persons below poverty level:	12.7%	11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in New Jersey. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Presidential voting pattern

See also: Presidential voting trends in New Jersey

New Jersey voted for the Democratic candidate in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.

Pivot Counties (2016)

Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, two are located in New Jersey, accounting for 0.97 percent of the total pivot counties.

Pivot Counties (2020)

In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. New Jersey had one Retained Pivot County and one Boomerang Pivot County, accounting for 0.55 and 4.00 percent of all Retained and Boomerang Pivot Counties, respectively.

More New Jersey coverage on Ballotpedia

• Elections in New Jersey
• United States congressional delegations from New Jersey
• Public policy in New Jersey
• Endorsers in New Jersey
• New Jersey fact checks
• More...

2025 battleground elections

See also: Battlegrounds

This is a battleground election. Other 2025 battleground elections include:

• Mayoral election in Minneapolis, Minnesota (2025)
• Rock Ridge Public Schools, Minnesota, elections (2025)
• Georgia Public Service Commission election, 2025

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• Governor of New Jersey official website
• Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey official website

Footnotes

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