Democrat Steve Fulop and Republican Jon Bramnick in the primaries for New Jersey governor | Endorsement
Primary voters in the Garden State who are looking for a governor to address the state’s woes have a strong field of Democrats to choose from and a solid pick among the GOP contenders.
There’s a lot to love about living in New Jersey. The Garden State has some of the country’s best public schools, the oldest beach resort in America, and relatively low rates of crime. It also boasts one of the highest median household incomes in the nation.
Still, residents will tell you Jersey also has plenty of problems.
Property taxes are high, transit access is uneven, and buying or even renting a home becomes more out of reach for more people every year. In suburban towns, many young families and public workers can no longer afford to live in the neighborhoods they grew up in.
Thankfully, New Jersey primary voters looking for a governor to address the state’s woes have a strong field of Democrats to choose from and a solid pick among the GOP contenders.
In the Democratic primary, the Editorial Board recommends Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop as the candidate who is most prepared for the challenge.
After he became mayor in 2013, New Jersey Monthly called him “data driven and bent on efficiency.” He’s earned that praise since. Fulop, 48, embraced the kind of innovative policy solutions that often spook other mayors, and he implemented them effectively — often in the face of strong opposition. In the often go-along-to-get-along world of New Jersey politics, that’s a refreshing quality.
Under Fulop, Jersey City eliminated traffic fatalities on city roadways, the largest city in America to accomplish this feat. Fulop also oversaw record-low homicide numbers, with the city of nearly 300,000 reporting just six homicides in 2024.
Rather than driving people away with an ever-increasing cost of living, Jersey City has added residents, fueling a period of strong economic growth. Fulop was so effective at unlocking housing production that Jersey City built nearly as many new units as Manhattan last year, adding thousands of new affordable units at projects like the Bayfront in addition to market-rate development.
Fulop has also been bold politically, choosing to switch his endorsement in last year’s U.S. Senate race from Tammy Murphy to Andy Kim. Fulop correctly identified Kim’s candidacy as an essential challenge to the county line system that had stifled competition in primaries for decades.
While it is certainly true that Fulop has, at times, worked with that establishment to win elections and achieve goals, it is just as true that Fulop is willing to challenge existing norms in state politics when needed — including in his initial 2005 city council bid and his run for mayor, when he defeated entrenched incumbents and their Democratic machine support.
Fulop also has the right policies to fix New Jersey’s biggest problems, having already worked on many of these issues in Jersey City.
He’s promised to cancel an $11 billion project to widen the turnpike in North Jersey, which many experts contend will not reduce congestion, but will increase pollution. Fulop would put the money in NJ Transit instead. On housing, Fulop would concentrate new construction along transit corridors, reward municipalities that achieve their affordable housing goals, and reform existing programs.
While this board endorses the Jersey City mayor, Democratic New Jerseyans are lucky to have a distinguished slate of candidates to choose from.
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka deserves credit for his role in revitalizing the state’s biggest city and his focus on ending racial inequality. Montclair Mayor Sean Spiller has brought a welcome focus on education and childcare. Former State Sen. Steve Sweeney, the lone South Jersey contender, certainly knows his way around the sausage factory that is the State House in Trenton. U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer provides a strong appeal for moderates, although his crusade against New York’s congestion toll, a policy he would have no control over as governor, is questionable.
U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill, like Fulop, has promised to build more housing and bring down the state’s cost of living. The former Navy helicopter pilot has proved herself an effective advocate in Congress, but lacks Jersey-specific executive experience.
For Garden State Republicans, the choice is clear: State Sen. Jon Bramnick, of Union County, is their best option.
At a time when most Republicans define themselves by whatever President Donald Trump says on social media, Bramnick, 72, is a refreshing throwback to more pragmatic GOP leaders like former Gov. Tom Kean.
While this board has clear disagreements with Bramnick when it comes to housing and transportation policy, his firm denunciation of the Jan. 6, 2021, riots is admirable, as is his commitment to due process, the rule of law, and practical and humane solutions regarding immigration. Bramnick has a history of working across the aisle, which is an essential quality in any Republican state executive given the legislature’s strong Democratic majorities.
While Gov. Phil Murphy made significant progress — with legalized marijuana, an increased minimum wage, and family leave doubled — it will be up to a new governor to tackle the state’s high cost of living, fix its transit system, and build affordable housing.
In their respective primaries, Democrat Steve Fulop and Republican Jon Bramnick deserve voters’ support.