Ciattarelli, Sherrill win NJ primaries for governor. Check our live blog for all results
Hello and welcome to NorthJersey.com’s blog for New Jersey's 2025 primary election.
Check here often for color from our reporters and analysts spread out at candidates' election night headquarters — and don't forget to check back for actual results now that polls have close at 8 p.m. and the counting has begun.
There are a number of races on the ballots, including the 11 Democrats and Republicans vying to be their party's nominee for governor as Gov. Phil Murphy ends his final term in January.
Our team of reporters at polling places and candidates’ headquarters are ready to give updates as they happen.
So sit back and enjoy the ride.
-Scott Fallon
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General election campaign starts off heated. Sherrill calls Ciattarelli a "Trump lackey."
The battle for the governor's seat began as heated as a burger on the White Manna grill.
Rep. Mikie Sherrill, the Democratic nominee, fired the first salvo of the campaign during her acceptance speech. "A state like this is not gonna be led by a Trump-lackey like Jack Ciattarelli," she said to applause.
"I'm ready to shake up the status quo, and Jack is the status quo," she said. "He's not change. He's a rerun. He's a ghost of elections past."
Ciattarelli, the GOP nominee, didn't hold back either.
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“If you took a shot every time Mikie Sherrill says Trump … you will be drunk off your ass between now and Nov. 4,” Ciattarelli said before going on to say he truly believes the “future of our state hangs in the balance.”
The former assemblyman said the Democratic Party is focused more on pronouns than property taxes and said “a vote for Mikie Sherrill is a vote for another four years of Phil Murphy.”
-Erik Larsen and Gabrielle Kutsup
Concession speeches are made as thoughts turn to November
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka: "We're never going to concede fighting authoritarianism. We're never going to concede fighting dictatorships. Standing up for the Constitution. Standing up for democracy."
Former Senate President Steve Sweeney: “While the outcome is not what we hoped for, I couldn’t be more grateful to every supporter, volunteer, and voter who believed in my campaign and my vision for New Jersey.”
Rep. Josh Gottheimer: "I'll never forget the faith you've put in me for the awesome responsibility you've given me to look after the Fifth District, whether that's a hungry child, a veteran, a struggling small business owner, an American held hostage in a tunnel, or a senior worried about her Social Security."
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New Jersey Education Association President Sean Spiller: “First, I want to congratulate Congresswoman Sherrill on her hard-fought victory tonight. Now is the time for all of us to come together and ensure that an extreme politician like Jack Ciattarelli never sets foot in the governor’s office."
Will party insider vs reformer debate resonate in Sherrill, Ciattarelli contest?
During the close of their final debate last month, Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop argued that Democrats would be in danger of losing in November if the party selected a nominee who was embraced by party establishment led by Governor Murphy — a clear reference to Rep. Mikie Sherrill who stood nearby on the stage.
Fulop’s point was that New Jersey's Democratic Party was vulnerable to the inevitable attack by Jack Ciattarelli and Republicans that the Democrats had been in charge far too long and that Sherrill would make an easy target.
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Reminded of that argument Tuesday night, Dan Bryan, a longtime Murphy adviser and informal consultant to the Sherrill race, offered this: “Voters told you tonight what they thought about Steve Fulop’s argument.”
-Charles Stile
National party groups praise Sherrill and Ciattarelli as the sides get ready to duke it until November
It didn’t take long for the national political groups to take credit for Tuesday’s primary results.
The Republican State Legislative Committee, which claims to have spent $1 million on the race, began trumpeting what will be a key theme of Republican nominee Jack Ciattarelli’s campaign: that Democrats have ruled the roost in Trenton far too long and voters are now demanding change.
“For too long, the Democrats in Trenton have prioritized a reckless tax-and-spend agenda over the needs of the people in the Garden State. With New Jersey Republicans rallying around Jack Ciattarelli, we are well positioned to hold Democrats accountable for their poor record and work to deliver the real change that has been promised,’’ the group said in a statement.
The Democratic Governors Association chair, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, praised Sherrill on her win.
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"As a former Navy helicopter pilot and federal prosecutor, Mikie served our country and took on tough fights to keep New Jerseyans safe, and during her time in Congress, she worked to lower costs, create good-paying jobs, and protect reproductive rights," Kelly said in a statement. "Now she’s running to make life easier for Garden State families by creating economic opportunity, building more affordable housing, lowering costs, and funding public schools."
The New Jersey and Virginia races for governor stand to grab the national spotlight this fall as the nation’s lone statewide races. Party leaders are hoping that the outcome will serve as a barometer on President Trump’s chaotic first year before next year’s crucial midterm elections.
-Charles Stile
Mikie Sherrill wins Democratic primary for governor
It’ll be Mikie vs Jack this November.
U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill won the Democratic nomination for governor in a race called by the Associated Press and New York Times.
She will be up against former Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli who received the GOP nod earlier in the evening.
Sherrill emerged for a large field of candidates that included Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, Rep. Josh Gottheimer, New Jersey Education Association President Sean Spiller and former state Senate President Steve Sweeney.
-Scott Fallon
Jack Ciattarelli wins GOP primary for governor
Former Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli will be the Republican nominee for governor for a second time in a race called by the Associated Press and Washington Post.
It took the news organizations less than a half hour after polls closed to make the call.
Ciattarelli was leading in the polls heading into the primary over state Sen. Jon Bramnick, former radio personality Bill Spadea, former Englewood Cliffs Mayor Mario Kranjac, and Burlington County contractor Justin Barbera.
-Scott Fallon
Will this year’s gubernatorial race reverse NJ’s historically dismal primary turnout?
It's been months of leaflets clogging mailboxes and a barrage of television ads every night from most of the 11 Democratic and Republican candidates vying to be their party's candidate for New Jersey governor.
But will it be enough to get voters to the polls?
New Jersey has had historically low turnout for most primaries thanks in large part to the state's 2.4 million unaffiliated voters. But they vary by the gravity of the election.
Turnout this year might be a bit higher since the primary contest is for an open governor’s seat for the first time since 2017 when Gov. Chris Christie's last term was expiring.
About 15% of voters went to the polls in the 2017 primary. Primaries when the presidency is on the line draws more, with about 26% of voters casting ballots last year. When no major seat is up for grabs, turnout is usually in the single digits.
Some poll workers interviewed on Tuesday were less than optimistic about reversing those trends. The rainy weather through the morning and early afternoon, many said, brought few voters out earlier in the day.
-Scott Fallon
High hopes and deep concerns at a Hasbrouck Heights senior center
It was a quiet and gloomy day at the polling center at the Senior Center of Hasbrouck Heights. The gray skies hung low as voters trickled in and out. Some residents walked out smiling, confident in their choices, while others wore more pensive expressions, weary and uncertain about what the results might bring.
Hasbrouck Heights resident Jenna Santana, 45, felt it was important to vote in this year's primary.
However, she said the new ballot design could negatively impact the voting process.
“I don't like it," Santana said. "I think that it was fine for me, but I feel like for people who aren't familiar with this new way and putting it in a folder and printing it, it could be very confusing and intimidating.”
For others, like father-daughter duo Fred Blake, 65, and Kyra Blake, 18, the new voting format did not cause any issues.
Fred Blake said “taxes and quality of life” were two main reasons that brought him to the poll, whereas Kyra Blake was mainly excited to experience this milestone for the first time. “I just turned 18. I wanted to go and do my civic duty for the nation,” she said.
Hasbrouck Heights resident Jackie Dykeman, 58, felt voting this year could impact how national issues are handled. “I'm really concerned about making sure we get a governor who is going to help fight against Trump and what he's doing to our country,” Dykeman said.
Despite the quiet turnout, the day carried the weight of high hopes and deeper concerns about the future.
-Jenna Mattern
Rain gives way to sun and voters slowly trickle into polling places
Ridgewood's polling booth at George Washington Middle School was quiet most of the day. But voters began arriving after stormy weather started to clear around 3 p.m.
Claudio Barrigo, a 59-year-old Democrat, said his primary issue is lower taxes but he also believes state government needs to be stronger to make up for looming cuts to services at the federal level. He voted for former Senate President Steve Sweeney.
"This year is very important because of the current federal government,” he said. “It's very disruptive."
The rain didn’t wash out all the voters this morning. There was a slow but steady stream of people voting at the Pequannock Township Library. The new ballot design was noticed by voters.
“Yeah, big difference,” Lenny Barone said, who has lived in Pompton Plains for over 30 years. “It was confusing at first, but it was fine.”
There was a mix of different voters at the polling location, but most said they voted for either Jack Ciattarelli among the three Republican candidates for governor, or Mikie Sherrill among the six Democratic candidates for governor.
-Liam Kahan and Gabrielle Kutsup
At a Wayne polling site, political harmony and taxes are top of mind
Susan Mortaro was thrilled to hear what Rep. Josh Gottheimer had to say about lowering her taxes.
That is the main reason why the Wayne resident voted for the five-term congressman from Bergen County to be the Democratic nominee for governor. Gottheimer campaigned heavily on a “Tax Cut Plan for Jersey,” airing commercials on network TV for the past several weeks.
There was something else that charmed Mortaro. “He seems like a nice person,” she said. “Like an everyday kind of guy.”
Mortaro, 78, was among 31 voters who trickled in to the gymnasium at Ryerson School to cast ballots by noon on June 10. Poll workers acknowledged that it was a meager turnout.
The K-5 school, which is about 500 feet west of the southbound lanes of Route 23, is the polling place for two voting districts in the flood-prone 1st Ward.
Helen Fernicola, a registered Republican, said she voted for former state Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli of Somerset County to be the party nominee for governor because she agreed with his position on immigration reform. She said she also believes that he can help those on fixed incomes.
“Taxes are crazy,” said Fernicola, 84. “Utility bills are off the wall — it’s just nuts.”
Roy Rosimini, a registered Republican, pulled up to the school parking lot in a large pickup truck and a big idea on his mind: Harmony between the parties.
The country should do away with its two-party political system and implement a one-party system of government, he said. “Give it a shot to see if it works for the people,” he added.
“Even the news channels are different — everything’s different,” said Rosimini, 70, a longtime township resident. “The only time this country really comes together is when we have a tragedy. Other than that, we’re always bickering.”
- Philip DeVencentis
Matzo balls, pizza, handshakes. Last minute campaigning consumes gubernatorial candidates
With about eight hours until polls close, Jersey City Mayor and Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Steve Fulop stopped by The Pickled Herring in Marlboro to chat with supporters and grab lunch.
Fulop said that he was “excited, nervous, stressed, anxious and all the other adjectives” about the day that is ultimately the culmination of his more than two year campaign to represent his party on ballots in this fall’s gubernatorial election.
“I’m optimistic and hopeful but ultimately it’s in the voters hands now,” he said. “The response has been good.”
Other candidates on the Democratic side also spent the morning doing some last-minute campaigning, including Reps. Mikie Sherrill and Josh Gottheimer, who greeted rail commuters at stations in Essex and Bergen Counties respectively.
Republican Jack Ciattarelli spent the afternoon with supporters at a Raritan pizza parlor. John Bramnick worked the room at a YMCA fundraiser in Westfield on Monday night.
Fulop said that he expects there will be a decision tonight or at least a clear indicator in the six way Democratic primary for the state’s top elected office.
As for that lunch order? Fulop said he was going with matzo ball soup and would defer to Marlboro Mayor Jonathan Hornik for anything to go with it.
-Katie Sobko
Check out NorthJersey.com's primary election guide
In addition to the governor's primary races, there are also some contested local primary elections and some contested elections for nominations in the race for seats in the New Jersey Assembly, the lower house of the state legislature.
Here's our complete guide to New Jersey's June 10 primary.
There's information on who's running for each seat, how much money they've raised, and the candidates' positions on a number of key issues facing the state, including how they'd tackle climate change, how they'd preserve access to Medicaid, their stance on LGBTQ+ rights and abortion, and how they would fund education.