A guide to the candidates for NJ governor

Baraka supports the Immigrant Trust Act, which would codify and expand the state’s sanctuary policy, which largely prohibits New Jersey law enforcement from assisting ICE. The legislature would have to send the bill to the governor’s desk to become law.

Baraka wants to take his efforts to reduce crime, build affordable housing, and provide home ownership opportunities for public housing residents in Newark to a statewide level.

Baraka believes Democrats should be pushing further to the left in the face of the Trump administration, such as through a single-payer healthcare system, universal pre-K, and equity and DEI initiatives.

He would be the state’s first Black governor.

Baraka captured national attention when he was arrested by federal immigration officers for trespassing outside of Delaney Hall, a new immigration detention center in Newark. Baraka was trying to attend an oversight visit with members of Congress and the charges against him were dropped.

Fulop has run an antiestablishment campaign. He recruited a slate of down-ballot candidates across the state to collaborate with his campaign, even challenging Democratic incumbents. He said he wants to reform New Jersey politics and that residents pay a “corruption tax.”

Fulop touts policies he implemented in Jersey City that other New Jersey leaders followed, such as paid sick leave, a higher minimum wage, and Vision Zero to eliminate traffic-related death and serious injuries.

Fulop points to his microtransit system in Jersey City as an example of the transit he wants to expand statewide. He wants to reallocate money for a turnpike-widening project to light rail efforts.

Fulop supports the Immigrant Trust Act, which would codify and expand the state’s sanctuary policy, which largely prohibits New Jersey law enforcement from assisting ICE. The legislature would have to send the bill to the governor’s desk to become law.

He would be the state’s first Jewish governor.

Gottheimer has focused on a repeated “lower taxes, lower costs” slogan. He has implemented his argument for how he’ll fight Trump into this agenda.

Gottheimer cofounded and is a vice chair of the Problem Solvers Caucus, a bipartisan caucus intended to find common ground between parties.

He has been a loud critic of New York’s congestion pricing.

Gottheimer was the only New Jersey Democrat in Congress to support the Laken Riley Act, a new federal law that allows the Department of Homeland Security to detain undocumented immigrants accused of theft-related crimes. He said he supports the state’s current sanctuary directive but has not voiced support for the bill that would codify and expand the policy.

He would be the state’s first Jewish governor and has broken with the majority of his party for certain pro-Israel votes in the House.

Sherrill was the first House Democrat in New Jersey or Pennsylvania to call for former President Joe Biden to step down from the 2024 presidential primary. She was part of a group of freshman Democrats who called for Trump to be impeached during her first term in 2019. She twice declined to vote for U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi as speaker.

Sherrill has the most institutional support in the race from the county Democratic parties in New Jersey.

Sherrill supports maintaining the state’s current Immigrant Trust Directive, which largely prohibits New Jersey law enforcement from assisting ICE. She does not support the Immigrant Trust Act, which would codify and expand the policy, because she argues it would put the policy’s fate back in the court’s hands.

Sherrill wants to build more middle-class housing, add more clean energy to the grid to work toward energy independence, and encourage more shared services among municipalities to lower costs.

Sherrill would be the first female Democratic governor of the state.

Spiller’s campaign has largely relied on millions in super PAC money funded by public schoolteachers dues from the NJEA, which has around 200,000 members. His well-financed campaign did not receive enough individual donations to qualify for the debate stage.

Spiller is an advocate for teachers’ pensions and wants to improve New Jersey schools, invest in early education and childcare, and streamline licensing for childcare centers. He also touts experience designing healthcare plans through the union.

He said that the rich haven’t been paying their fair share and that New Jersey needs to rewrite its tax code to make up for federal funding cuts. He wants the state to invest in wind, solar, and battery energy, and rely less on oil.

He wants to partner with municipalities to help them build more affordable housing without overdevelopment. As Montclair mayor he championed rent control.

Spiller said he supports the Immigrant Trust Act, which would codify and expand the state’s sanctuary policy, which largely prohibits New Jersey law enforcement from assisting ICE. The legislature would have to send the bill to the governor’s desk to become law.

Sweeney touts deep knowledge of state politics and policy, having served as state Senate president from 2010 to 2022, the longest tenure in New Jersey history. He was ousted from his position by Ed Durr, a Republican truck driver who was little known at the time.

Sweeney proposed a public health option for New Jersey that would be managed by an independent third-party fiduciary. He said that the plan would offer affordable care without adding more state bureaucracy, and that it would offer discounts for patients who complete annual primary care visits to incentivize prevention.

Sweeney said he will address the state’s affordable housing shortage by cutting “red tape” that gets in the way of building new housing, allowing seniors to maintain their property tax credits if they move within the state and increasing down payment assistance for first time home buyers.

Sweeney wants to expand gas and nuclear generation in New Jersey along with utilizing hydrogen energy, offshore wind, and food waste generation.

Sweeney said he will repeal the Immigrant Trust Directive, known as the state’s sanctuary policy, which prohibits New Jersey law enforcement from assisting ICE. He’s argued that the policy gives immigrants false hope.

Bramnick is the only candidate in the Republican primary who hasn’t presented himself as a staunch Trump ally. The moderate has been critical of Trump but also said he will support the president when he does things he agrees with. Bramnick has emphasized the need for civility in politics.

Bramnick said he generally believes vaccines should be a choice but did not rule out requiring a vaccine if there was a crisis that seriously threatened public health. He supports the religious exemption.

Bramnick said he supports continuing funding for women’s health services provided by Planned Parenthood but not for abortion services. Bramnick was the only candidate to say he would support a referendum on constitutionally protecting a right to abortion at a Republican debate.

Bramnick said he would stop Democrats from allocating money to districts they favor for “Christmas tree items” and entities like museums.

He said he would end the state’s sanctuary policy, did not support in-state tuition for undocumented students or allowing undocumented people to have driver’s licenses, but he also believes in due process and that Congress should create a path to citizenship.

Barbera did not raise enough money to qualify for the debate stage. He does not have a campaign website but uses social media and calls himself as “MAGA Republican” on his Facebook page. In a text, Barbera said “I’m grassroots, No website, No donations, and UNCOMPROMISED!” and that he’s “beholden to nobody except the People of NJ.” He said he doesn’t ask for money and wants to show people they can get on the ballot without using money.

He said improving education and gun rights are his top priorities. He said children “seem to be misguided” and that “we need the fundamentals brought back into education.” He said he would transform the education system to eliminate DEI and include farming and the trades.

Barbera supports Trump’s deportation agenda and said he would ensure state and local police departments help turn over undocumented immigrants to ICE agents. He said that citizens should understand English if they want to stay in America and he will promote English education efforts.

He is against wind turbines at the Jersey Shore but wants to bring other types of alternative energy to New Jersey.

He said he wants to build more housing in cities like Trenton, Asbury Park, and Atlantic City. He wants to have people who are incarcerated clean graffiti and replace concrete, then give them union membership after they serve their prison sentences.

Ciattarelli was endorsed by Trump in May. Ciattarelli was against Trump when the president first entered politics, calling him a “charlatan” in 2015. Ciattarelli largely avoided speaking about Trump during his 2021 campaign. Ciattarelli courted the president’s endorsement this time around, and Trump said Ciattarelli is now “ALL IN.”

Ciattarelli said he would end the state’s sanctuary policy and threaten state funding for sanctuary cities.

Ciattarelli opposes civilian review boards for law enforcement and said he will protect qualified immunity for law enforcement and get rid of use of force reporting if a firearm isn’t used.

Ciattarelli said he believes “my body, my choice” should apply to vaccines and would not support mandating any vaccines. He wants the state to provide funding to pregnancy resource centers, which discourage abortion.

Ciattarelli said he will reduce income taxes and consolidate tax brackets, reduce state spending, and lower corporate taxes.

Spadea, who has repeatedly proposed a New Jersey DOGE, describes himself as unapologetically “conservative, pro-life, pro-Second Amendment, and pro-Trump.”

Spadea argued that ending New Jersey’s sanctuary state status would save money and said he would renegotiate pension plans, particularly for new hires coming into the Communications Workers of America and New Jersey Education Association unions.

Spadea said he does not believe that transgender identity is legitimate, a position that is at odds with major medical organizations.

Spadea said he is against mandating any vaccines and has been outspoken against the COVID-19 vaccine.

Spadea said he would veto any funding to Planned Parenthood and that the state should support pregnancy resource centers, which discourage abortion.

Kranjac was elected mayor in 2016, flipping a seat that was long held by Democrats. He said on his website that he “took on Black Lives Matter, stood-up to Phil Murphy’s COVID lockdowns, and fought weaponized courts trying to impose low-income housing mandates on taxpayers” during his time as mayor.

Kranjac has a form on his campaign website to compile information “about waste, fraud, or abuse in state government spending” for a New Jersey Department of Government Efficiency (NJ DOGE) he would create as governor.

He got enough signatures to make it on the ballot but did not raise enough money to qualify for the debate stage.

Kranjac said his priority is making the state more affordable and wants to get rid of the state’s sanctuary policy.

He said he is against social emotional learning and DEI in schools and that parents, not the government, should decide about teaching their kids those subjects.