Governor Who? NJ Voters Murky On Candidates For 2025, Poll Says

NEW JERSEY — New Jersey will be saying farewell to Gov. Phil Murphy as he reaches his term limit next year. But when it comes to potential replacements, many of the state’s voters are still saying “meh” to their choices, a recent poll says.

With one election over and another creeping closer in the Garden State, there are a plethora of politicians competing for the governorship in 2025. The problem is, many New Jersey voters don’t even know who they are, according to the latest Rutgers-Eagleton Poll.

“On either side of the aisle, no candidate is viewed favorably by more than one in five voters, and at least half of voters do not take sides on any of the candidates we asked,” said Ashley Koning, an assistant research professor and director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling (ECPIP) at Rutgers University-New Brunswick.

A growing field of people have announced governor runs in 2025. They include Ras Baraka, Steve Fulop, Sean Spiller and Stephen Sweeney (Democrats), Roger Bacon, Jon Bramnick, Robert Canfield, Jack Ciattarelli, Edward Durr, James Fazzone, Hans Herberg and Bill Spadea (Republicans), and independent candidates Gerardo Cedrone and Karen Zaletel.

Meanwhile, other politicians such as U.S. Reps. Mikie Sherrill and Josh Gottheimer have had their names circulated in discussions about the election, but haven’t officially declared their candidacy.

POLL RESULTS

Pollsters saw the following results for Democrats:

• Mikie Sherrill – Rumored candidate U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill received the most favorable ratings: 19% view her favorably, 8% unfavorably and 20% have no opinion; 53% don’t know who she is.
• Ras Baraka – 16% percent view Newark Mayor Ras Baraka favorably, 11% unfavorably, and 21% have no opinion; 51% don’t know who he is, pollsters said.
• Josh Gottheimer – U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, also a rumored candidate, received 15% favorable, 8% unfavorable and 21% have no opinion; 56% don’t know who he is.
• Steve Sweeney – 12% of voters view former state Senate President Steve Sweeney favorably, 19% unfavorably, 25% have no opinion and 44% don’t know who he is.
• Steve Fulop – 9% of voters are favorable toward Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, 9% are unfavorable, 22% have no opinion and 60% don’t know who he is.
• Sean Spiller – Seven percent view Sean Spiller, president of the New Jersey Education Association, favorably, another 7% unfavorably, and 21% have no opinion; 65% don’t know who he is.

Pollsters saw the following results for Republicans:

• Jack Ciattarelli – Former assemblyman and 2021 Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli receives the most favorable ratings: 20% of voters view him favorably, 16% unfavorably, 23% have no opinion and 41% don’t know him.
• Bill Spadea – Nine percent view radio host Bill Spadea favorably, 12% unfavorably, 18% have no opinion and 60% don’t know who he is.
• Jon Bramnick – Seven percent give state Sen. Jon Bramnick a favorable rating, 5% unfavorable and 20% have no opinion; 68% don’t know who he is.

When it comes to the current governor, more than half of voters (55%) approve of the way Gov. Murphy is handling his job, while 36% disapprove. The governor garners similar numbers on favorability – 50% favorable versus 34% unfavorable, the poll results showed.

Murphy’s approval rating hasn’t significantly changed from where it was about a year ago, when he had 56% approval among registered voters and 46% favorability among registered voters, pollsters noted.

Researchers said that partisan patterns hold steady on the governor’s approval and favorability:

“Democrats are much more likely to approve of (82%) and give favorable ratings to Murphy (76%), independents are split on both approval (45% approve versus 42% disapprove) and favorability (37% favorable versus 39% unfavorable), and Republicans largely disapprove of Murphy (68%) and give him unfavorable ratings (66%).”

Results are from a statewide poll of 1,018 adults contacted through the probability-based Rutgers-Eagleton/SSRS Garden State Panel from Oct. 15 to Oct. 22. The full sample has a margin of error of +/- 4.1 percentage points. The registered voter subsample contains 929 registered voters and has a margin of error of +/- 4.2 percentage points.

Catch up with some of Patch’s recent gubernatorial coverage below (click headlines to read the article):

• Baraka Says He Will Lift 'Working People' If Elected As NJ Governor
• Jack Is Back: Can Ciattarelli Overcome The Odds In Essex County?
• Mikie Sherrill Says She May Run For Governor In NJ
• Jersey City Mayor Fulop Confirms He'll Run For Governor In 2025
• Brick Resident Joins Republican Race For New Jersey Governor
• Montclair Mayor Sean Spiller Launches NJ Governor Campaign
• Outgoing NJ Senate President To Run For Governor In 2025: Report
  

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