2025 New Jersey gubernatorial election

The 2025 New Jersey gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 2025, to elect the governor of New Jersey. Current Democratic governor Phil Murphy is term-limited and cannot run for another term. Democratic congresswoman Mikie Sherrill and Republican former state assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli ran to replace Murphy. The election had a high level of interest because many voters wanted change after two terms of the same party.

Mikie Sherrill defeated Ciattarelli in the general election.https://www.npr.org/2025/11/04/nx-s1-5590033/election-results-new-jersey-governor-sherrill She is projected to win Morris County, the first Democratic candidate for governor to do so since Brendan Byrne in 1973. She is set to become the second female governor in New Jersey history, following the election of Republican Christine Todd Whitman. She is also the first woman to win over 50% of the vote in the state's history, Sherrill was also strong enough to reverse the gains Ciattarelli had made in his much closer 2021 race, winning by a significantly larger margin statewide. Sherrill flipped back multiple counties that had supported Ciattarelli in 2021 or that President Trump had carried in 2024 (including Atlantic, Cumberland, Gloucester, Morris, and Passaic). By a much wider 13-14 point margin than Murphy’s 2021 win, indicating a swing back toward Democrats, as well flipping the state back to being more democratic.

Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
Mikie Sherrill, U.S. representative from  (2019–present)
Eliminated in primary
Ras Baraka, Mayor of Newark (2014–present)
Steven Fulop, Mayor of Jersey City (2013–present)
Running mate: Sheena Collum, Mayor of South Orange
Josh Gottheimer, U.S. representative for  (2017–present)
Sean Spiller, president of the New Jersey Education Association (2021–present) and former mayor of Montclair (2020–2024)
Stephen Sweeney, former president of the New Jersey Senate (2010–2022) from the 3rd district (2002–2022)

Declined
Cory Booker, U.S. senator (2013–present) and candidate for president in 2020 (running for re-election in 2026)

Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee

 Jack Ciattarelli, former state assemblyman from the 16th district (2011–2018), nominee for governor in 2021, and candidate in 2017

 Eliminated in primary 
Justin Barbera, contractor and independent candidate for  in 2024
Jon Bramnick, state senator from the 21st district (2022–present) and former Minority Leader of the New Jersey General Assembly (2012–2022) from the 21st district (2003–2022) 
Mario Kranjac, former mayor of Englewood Cliffs (2016–2024)
Bill Spadea, radio talk show host and nominee for  in 2004

Withdrawn
Edward Durr, former state senator from the 3rd district (2022–2024) (endorsed Spadea)
Jim Fazzone, former mayor of Burlington City (2008–2015) and nominee for SD-07 in 2023 (endorsed Bramnick)

Declined
Chris Christie, former governor of New Jersey (2010–2018) and Republican primary candidate in the 2016 United States presidential election and 2024 United States presidential election
Mike Crispi, TV Host on Real America's Voice and candidate for  in 2022
Declan O'Scanlon, state senator from the 13th district (2018–present) (endorsed Ciattarelli)

References

Category:2025 elections in the United States
Category:2020s in New Jersey
Category:November 2025 events