NJ Governor Candidates Speak On ‘Equity, Segregation’: Election 2025

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — The race for the Garden State’s soon-to-be-vacant governor post is heating up. But what do the candidates have to say about “building a more just and equitable New Jersey?”

Gov. Phil Murphy is term-limited and can’t run again this year. A primary election will take place on June 10. The general election will take place on Nov. 4. Learn more about voting in New Jersey here.

The Jersey Bee, a nonprofit local news service that serves East Essex County, recently reached out to 12 candidates about their plans to build a more “just and equitable New Jersey.” The effort was part of the publication’s ongoing reporting on solutions to segregation in the state.

The nonprofit got replies from Ras Baraka, Robert Canfield, James Fazzone, Steven Fulop, Mikie Sherrill, and Sean Spiller. It did not receive a reply from Josh Gottheimer, Stephen Sweeney, Jack Ciattarelli, Jon Bramnick, Bill Spadea, or Edward Durr.

Candidates were asked questions about education, housing, immigration, health care and environmental justice. Read the full set of interviews here.

The Jersey Bee provided some background about their line of questions to the candidates:

“Often referred to as the ‘slave state of the North,’ New Jersey was home to more than two-thirds of all of the enslaved Black people in the Northern United States by the 1830s. While slavery was abolished in the state in 1866, the legacy of slavery and racial discrimination has persisted. In the 1930s, the federal government racially segregated housing and land development while local governments created policies to keep Black people from accessing beaches, recreation centers, and schools. Today, in Essex County, more than two-thirds of white families own their homes compared to just 28 percent of Black families and 34 percent of Latinx families, according to a New Jersey Institute for Social Justice report. Communities of color continue to face barriers to accessing essential resources like health care and food.”

A large field of candidates is competing to take Murphy's place in 2025. See Related: Governor Who? NJ Voters Murky On Candidates For 2025, Poll Says

According to Ballotpedia, the list currently includes:

DEMOCRATS – Ras Baraka, Steven Fulop, Josh Gottheimer, Mikie Sherrill, Sean Spiller, Stephen Sweeney

REPUBLICANS – Roger Bacon, Jon Bramnick, Monica Brinson, Robert Canfield, Jack Ciattarelli, Edward Durr, James Fazzone, Hans Herberg, Bill Spadea

INDY/THIRD-PARTY – Stephen Zielinski (Green Party), Gerardo Cedrone (Independent), Karen Zaletel (Independent)

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