Gov. Phil Murphy will not be able to run in 2025 due to term limits.
Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) on Nov. 15 entered the New Jersey gubernatorial race, pledging to stand up against President-elect Donald Trump if elected.
Gottheimer emphasized that he also prioritizes other issues, including reducing the cost of living for New Jersey residents.
He outlined his plans to achieve this by cutting property and income taxes, advocating for the reinstatement of the State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction for New Jersey, and working towards enhancing the accessibility and affordability of child care to support working parents.
âMy greatest joy comes from being a husband and father to my two children, and as your governor, I want every family to thrive,â he said. âYou deserve tax relief, lower prescription drug prices, safer neighborhoods, more affordable elderly care, and child care. It wonât be easy, but I have never shied away from challenging the status quo, fighting for what is right, getting things done, standing up for New Jersey, and upholding our core values.â
New Jersey, like many states in the November elections, saw a shift towards conservatism. However, a majority of the state’s voters still favored Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, over Trump.
Incumbent Gov. Phil Murphy, 67, is ineligible to run for a third term in 2025 due to New Jersey’s constitutional term limits that restrict governors to two consecutive terms. Murphy, a Democrat, secured reelection in 2021.
Gottheimer, 49, is one of the prominent candidates in the race to succeed Murphy, but he faces competition from over a dozen other contenders. Democratic candidates include Steven Fulop, 47, the mayor of Jersey City; former New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney; and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, 54.
On the Republican side, former state Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli, 62; state Sen. Jon Bramnick, 71; and former state Sen. Ed Durr, 61, are among those vying for the governor’s position.
Gottheimer represents New Jersey’s Fifth Congressional District, which shares a border with New York and has a population of approximately 781,000 residents. He recently won reelection with 54.5 percent of the vote.
