NJ Group Linked To Teacher Union Spends Millions To Elect Sean Spiller, Report Says

MONTCLAIR, NJ — A political super PAC fueled by contributions from one of the largest teacher unions on the East Coast is pumping some big bucks into Sean Spiller's campaign for governor of New Jersey, a new report says.

Spiller – the former mayor of Montclair – is one of several candidates seeking to replace Gov. Phil Murphy this year. A primary election will take place on June 10 and the general election is set for Nov. 4.

Spiller, who serves as president of the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA), is running as a Democrat. He announced his gubernatorial campaign last year.

Spiller is running on a platform that includes “affordability and the economy,” housing, health and child care, “climate change and clean energy” and “education.” See his campaign website here, and watch his campaign launch video here.

Last month, the New Jersey Monitor examined Spiller’s campaign finance reports, which list no staff members – unlike several of his competitors. Spiller’s most recent filing (which covered the period ending Dec. 31) reported only $64,253 in spending since he launched his campaign in June 2024. However, Spiller is also backed by an outside spending group that told election officials it will spend millions of dollars on the race, the article adds.

On Wednesday, a new report in The New York Times shed more light on the source of this money: a super PAC known as Working New Jersey.

Citing records from the Internal Revenue Service, the report says that the political arm of the NJEA has sent at least $17.25 million to Working New Jersey – which has in turn said it is prepared to spend up to $35 million to get Spiller elected.

Officials with the NJEA and Working New Jersey told The Times that Spiller had not been involved in allocating union funding or in any promotional efforts on his behalf, which is prohibited under campaign finance law.

A union spokesperson also said that Spiller played no role in the decision to send funding to Working New Jersey.

Spiller’s image has been appearing on campaign materials throughout New Jersey over the past six months, including a full-page ad in The New York Times.

Read the full article here.

UNION DUES AND POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS

Federal and state campaign contribution laws prohibit union dues from being used for political campaign contributions. However, unions can support political campaigns through donations from a political action committee (PAC) fund – which is fueled by voluntary contributions from workers.

The NJEA says that its own political action fund – the NJEA PAC – supports “pro-public education” candidates in races for governor and for the state Legislature. These candidates may in turn fight for worker rights as lawmakers, protecting school funding, tenure and workplace rights.

“Face it, every decision—from pensions and privatization, to salaries and benefits—is a decision made by people who hold public office,” the union argues. “The only way to influence these decisions is to elect candidates who support our public schools and you, our public school employees.

“One of the best ways to make sure we elect the right candidates is to give them the financial support they need to win,” the union adds. “In turn, to be effective, NJEA PAC depends on your voluntary contributions.”

Some critics have questioned whether Spiller’s run for governor has become a conflict of interest, however.

“Spiller is breaking his own union's rules, and NJEA leadership is letting him do it, so they are breaking the rules, too,” the Sunlight Policy Center of New Jersey recently wrote, laying out its argument in a report on its website.

PUBLIC FINANCING AND DEBATES

Spiller did not qualify for matching funds from the state for the primary election, officials recently announced.

Under the state’s program – which began in 1974 – candidates who raise $580,000 or more in campaign funding can qualify for public matching funds. Primary candidates are eligible for up to $5.5 million in public funding. In exchange, other than a few exceptions, they must limit their total primary spending to $8.7 million.

According to the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC), five Democrats have qualified: Ras Baraka, Steven Fulop, Josh Gottheimer, Mikie Sherrill, and Steve Sweeney.

Election officials said three Republicans made the cut: Jon Bramnick, Jack Ciattarelli, and Bill Spadea.

Spiller also fell short of the threshold needed to participate in the upcoming gubernatorial debates, which are being held in Newark in May.

• See Related: Here Are The NJ Governor Candidates Who Qualified For Public Funds

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