The 2025 New Jersey Primary is an election that is coming up on June 10, 2025 to determine who is going to be a candidate for the new governor of NJ. There are five republicans and six democrats running for the position.
What is the NJ Primary?
This year’s NJ Primary election is for the purpose of choosing a new governor to represent NJ. Primary elections are held prior to the general election in order to select the proper candidates for each political party, one for both the democrats and the republicans. New Jersey uses a system called Closed Primary, which only allows voters to vote for candidates running in the party they are registered in.
Governors are in charge of the state, bill numbers, official bills names and capitals, most recent action dates, topical deals with the bills, sponsor parties, and legislators status. Our current governor, Phil Murphy, takes over all these jobs and responsibilities.
The deadline for voter registration during the NJ Primary is May 20, 2025.
The Candidates?
Democrat:
- Ras Baraka – He is the current mayor of Newark and has been serving the city since 2014. He plans on unifying the state and making healthcare and reproductive health more accessible.
- Steven Fulop – He is the current mayor of Jersey City and has been serving the city since 2013. Fulop hopes to promote public safety and to improve health and education services.
- Mikie Sherrill – She is currently serving as a congresswoman for NJ. Sherill served in the Navy as a highly esteemed officer. In office, she would like to make NJ more affordable and to protect reproductive rights.
- Josh Gottheimer – He is currently serving as a congressman for NJ. He represents the fifth congressional district and even has an office in Ringwood. Gottheimer plans to continue his work with lowering the cost of everyday needs and protecting reproductive rights.
- Steve Sweeney – He served the Senate for 20 years and represented New Jersey. He wants to protect NJ workers, protect individuals with disabilities, and lower the costs that citizens face.
- Sean Spiller – He was the mayor of Montclair and the President of the New Jersey Education Association. Spiller plans to make housing, healthcare, and education more affordable and accessible.
Republican:
- Jon Bramnick – He has been serving the Senate since 2022 and served the General Assembly from 2003 to 2021. He hopes to make NJ more affordable, safer, and eliminate the use of gas powered cars to make energy more sustainable.
- Jack Ciattarelli – He is an entrepreneur, a former state assembly member, and former candidate in the 2021 primary, where he lost. His plans consist of cutting taxes and making changes to public schools.
- Bill Spadea – He is the host of a conservative radio show called “The Bill Spadea Show”. His goals consist of defending citizens from illegal immigrants and making New Jersey more affordable.
- Justin Barbera – He is a lesser known candidate with little experience compared to the other candidates. He is a contractor who hopes to make conservative voices heard.
- Mario Kranjac – Former Mayor of Englewood, Kronjac wants to work closely with President Trump to secure the border and cut taxes.
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There are many ways to vote for candidates that can fulfill your own routine.
You can apply for the vote-by-mail ballot which allows you to vote at home and return your ballot in any of the following ways. Once filling out the form you can mail your postmarked ballot to your county’s Board of Elections office, leave your vote-by-mail ballot in a secure ballot drop box within your county, or personally deliver your ballot to your county’s Board of Elections office. All of the above options must be fulfilled by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day. Ballot boxes can be found in Ringwood at the Municipal Complex or in Wanaque at the front entrance of the Municipal building. For more drop box information visit the drop box locations.
Another option to vote can be in-person voting. In-person voting allows you to use a voting machine during the early voting periods prior to Election Day. Your ballot can be used at any of your county’s designated in-person voting locations. There are no appointments necessary in order to vote at said locations. To find the polling place locations according to your address, you can search up where you should be voting by using the Polling Place Search Tool.
The final option that allows you to vote for a candidate is in-person voting on Election Day. You may vote at any time from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. at your polling place on Election Day.
Requirements to Vote
High School Student Requirement:
Upperclassmen are now able to become a part of the community of voters. Students that are a minimum of 17 years of age are able to preregister to vote; although you have to be at least 18 years old by election day to be able to go to the polls.
College Student Requirements:
In company with high school students, college students are also important when it comes to election day. As a resident of NJ, you are still able to vote in the NJ Primary even if you might be attending college in a different state. At the same time, you are capable of voting if you are an attendee of a NJ college while you may live in another state.
General requirements:
It is important when preparing to vote to remember that you have to be a United States citizen, a resident of NJ, along with living in the county/precinct that you vote in for no less than 30 days before the election. One thing to remember is that you are incapable of voting if you are currently serving a sentence in jail or prison due to being convicted of committing a felony.
Remember to check your schedule and submit your ballot on or before Election Day to participate in the voter population. Use your right as a citizen to vote for what you want to see in your community!
