New Jersey’s 2025 governor’s race is already shaping up to be one of the most crowded — and consequential — in recent memory, with a long list of candidates, strong ties to national politics, and big spending from special interest groups.
Speaking on The Montclair Pod, veteran political journalist Terrence McDonald, editor of the New Jersey Monitor, broke down the wide-open race and the stakes for voters across the Garden State.
On the Republican side, five candidates are vying for the nomination: State Sen. John Bramnick, former Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli, former radio host Bill Spadea, former Englewood Cliffs Mayor Mario Kranjac, and political outsider Justin Barbera.
“The real fight is over who can out-MAGA the others,” McDonald said. “Bramnick is the notable exception — he’s a Trump critic. But the rest are battling to show they’re most loyal to Trump.”
Even candidates with a history of criticizing Trump, like Ciattarelli and Spadea, are now doubling down on their pro-Trump credentials, a necessity to win over base voters ahead of the June primary.
“They all insist they’re the biggest MAGA acolyte,” McDonald added.
On the Democratic side, the field is equally competitive. Six candidates are running: Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, Congressmembers Josh Gottheimer and Mikie Sherrill, former Senate President Steve Sweeney, and Sean Spiller, president of the New Jersey Education Association and former mayor of Montclair.
Democrats are leaning heavily into anti-Trump messaging, with Elon Musk also emerging as a frequent target.
“Anti-Trump is big in the Democratic primary, as you would expect,” McDonald said, noting that Baraka, Fulop, and Sherrill have all emphasized attacks on Trump — and, in some cases, Musk — in speeches and television ads.
Beyond national politics, affordability has become the dominant local issue. Candidates are focusing on property taxes, housing costs, and prescription drug prices.
“It’s hard to run for office in New Jersey without admitting that it’s very expensive to live here,” McDonald said. “Affordability is the buzzword for both parties.”
One Democratic candidate, Josh Gottheimer, is pitching aggressive property tax cuts, claiming he can find billions in government inefficiencies. Meanwhile, Sherrill has focused on curbing pharmacy benefit managers to lower drug costs.
Money is playing an outsized role in this year’s campaign. Spiller, backed by a $35 million fund tied to the teachers union, has flooded mailboxes with campaign flyers.
“That’s a gigantic amount of money,” McDonald said, while noting that Spiller’s reliance on an outside PAC means he hasn’t qualified for public matching funds. “He’s just sitting back and letting the teachers’ union-connected PAC do a lot of the work for him.”
“It’s hard to run for office in New Jersey without admitting that it’s very expensive to live here…Affordability is the buzzword for both parties.”
Terrence mcdonald
Spiller’s candidacy also carries controversy. A prior whistleblower lawsuit alleged he improperly accepted health benefits as Montclair mayor despite working part-time — an issue that, so far, his Democratic opponents have largely avoided raising.
“I think if it were any of the other candidates, it would’ve been brought up,” McDonald said.
As for who leads the Democratic pack, McDonald pointed to Sherrill, a four-term congresswoman from Montclair, who enjoys the backing of much of North Jersey’s Democratic establishment.
“She’s done a fair amount of national press, and she’s won most of the county party endorsements up here,” McDonald said. “But with little public polling available, the race remains highly fluid.”
For Montclair residents, the stakes are especially personal. Two hometown candidates — Sherrill and Spiller — are competing for the state’s top office, ensuring that local priorities like education funding, housing affordability, and public sector support will be central issues throughout the race.
This year’s election also carries broader significance. With no incumbent on the ballot and New Jersey’s unique “county line” ballot structure dismantled by court order, both party primaries are expected to be more competitive than usual.
And Democrats face a historical hurdle: it’s been decades since their party won three consecutive terms in the governor’s office.
“Everything feels like uncharted territory,” McDonald said. “There’s a lot at stake — not just affordability and education, but the future direction of the state.”
The New Jersey primaries will be held in June, with the general election in November.
