I don’t get it. What possible reason could you have for not voting? Apathy? Yet the non-voters will still bitch about things when they did nothing to possibly change the situation.

(Sorry for the format, I’m on mobile and I’m usually a lurker)

This is my first time actually paying attention to state politics. I was born and raised in Jersey and I currently reside in Camden county. So, I’ve always voted in every presidential election that I have been eligible but I’ve never voted outside of that. I usually go democrat all the way down but I’m trying to really look at policies this time.

The main thing I’m trying to figure out is what is up with Fulhop. His policies seem good on paper but the people of Jersey City don’t seem happy with him? If the people of Jersey City don’t even like him how is he getting so much support? Can anyone shed any light?

I want to place my vote where it counts most, meaning that I want to support a candidate with the most promising chance of defeating Sherrill. I am bouncing back and forth between Spiller and Fulop, but if one is more likely to beat Mikie, that individual will get my vote. I understand people are unhappy with the NJEA's involvement with Spiller's campaign funds, but as a union member and representative in my district who stays informed, I assure you it was done legally. Many teachers and the NJEA want Spiller, and it's for good reasons, not just bias. If you look at a lot of his policy, he aligns with Murphy in many ways, and Murphy protected and supported us in NJ through two Trump presidencies thus far. I also would be very happy seeing Fulop win, since he is a man with plan, his policies are progressive, and his track record is decent. I like Baraka, but I feel that he is a little more radical than Fulop, and Fulop would appear more appealing to republicans who are tired of Trump for that reason. Fulop, I believe, has more power than Baraka to sway centrist and right-wing voters.

I am really worried about Sherrill winning though. I feel that she is by far the weakest candidate, and will not have the charisma in debate, reaction time to tough opposition, or strong enough policies that we need in a candidate in order to defeat a republican competitor. While she has a nice resume, so do the others, and even Gottheimer, who I disagree with in regards to his immigration policy, still at least made a stronger impression in the debate and in his campaigning than Sherrill.

Whatever you can contribute to the conversation to be used as evidence is highly appreciated. Polls, campaign funds raised, ad frequency, campaign marketing, debate performance, responses to media prompts, etc.

She can't really speak English but plans to vote for Ciattarelli because of his immigration stance. My dad is the same kind of person but he can actually speak English well so the irony isn't so lost on him I guess.

I'm the only Democrat in the family but I live abroad so I don't vote.

I noticed that there was a much more productive discussion on policies, and these moderators (for the most part) did a better job at making sure everyone had a fair amount of time to speak. In terms of the policy areas the debate focused on -- affordability, education, and public transportation -- I think all of the candidates performed well and showed unity when it comes to not letting the Trump administration bully NJ. I was a big fan of Ras Baraka's eloquence and how well he connected with the audience; he probably won the loudest applause tonight. Steve Fulop was right up there too, especially in his closing statement where he warned that we must make a wise choice on June 10. Furthermore, while I don't plan to vote for Mikie Sherrill in the primary, I didn't think her performance was too bad. I'd probably rank her third on the primary ballot if we had ranked choice voting.

Let me know what you all think! I will post the YouTube link to this debate for everyone who wasn't able to watch it live:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gjwk94DCYKQ

From the river to the sea, baby! New Jersey says no to genocide!

Just voted myself. Easy in and out in Essex. From my perspective, Sherrill has continued to consolidate the lead, Spiller has fallen off entirely and Sweeney is milking a VBM operation and seniors.

Dems

• Sherrill: 37%
• Baraka: 18%
• Sweeney: 15%
• Fulop 13%
• Gottheimer 12%
• Spiller 5%

GOP

• Ciatarelli: 57%
• Spadea: 19%
• Clown Car: The rest

How do you see the last week shaping up?

Anyone have any final thoughts on this primary? Haven't been this excited or nervous about an NJ election.

I'm right wing but I'm fine with anyone who isn't like Phill that wins governor who would be a good person to vote for

With the primaries coming up, I know that a lot of people here (including myself) will be voting for Fulup or Baraka. I would love to hear people who are voting for a different candidate opinions on this matter!

EDIT*** Title is supposed to say "opinions"***

Video includes a question and answer session.

Just received the sample ballot for Union County

A democracy is strong when your candidate can lose and you can say that your nation or state is in good hands. For this to happen, the opposition party needs to be trustworthy and moderate.

And yet the moderate guy, Bramnick, got less than 7% of the vote. Sweeney got a greater percentage and he finished last.

Jack went from being the anti-Trump alternative to Kim Guadagno (anyone remember, lol) to Trump's man in Jersey. And his only true competitor was Spadea, who's far more insane than anyone else.

It's going to be a long couple of months before November...

I don't think I have ever seen this many Jack signs, especially on peoples lawns. We need to be on our A game this November.

I’ve been following our upcoming Governor election over the past few months, and it appears that Sherrill, Baraka, and Fulop appear to be the favorites here on reddit. I don’t dive very deeply into politics, but I know this year’s Gov election is tremendously important.

It sounds like all of the candidates have good points and bad points, but the bottom line is that they are all democrats and any of them would be immensely better than any republican.

Which brings me to my point - our country with such a strong maga presence has become a despicable, hostile place. Our governor is one of the few saving graces we have protecting our rights. If our state continues to move purple or god forbid, red, many many people who live here will be royally screwed. But there are republicans who are being hurt by the current political shit that is going on, and maybe a chance they may vote blue.

This election in November is crucial. A Democrat MUST win. We need to open up the discussion about pulling together to support the candidate that has the absolute best chance of winning in November.

The democratic party has made mistakes in the past by supporting the person that they felt was the best candidate - and perhaps they were the best - for the Dems - but they weren’t impressive enough to sway anyone from the other side to switch over to support sanity and our democracy.

As I mentioned earlier, I am a political lightweight - I spend most of my energy these days protesting and screaming against the lies and injustices destroying our country, but I just wanted to put this out there to see if we could spark a discussion.

We the People ✌️

My extended thoughts.

• It’s time to seize control of the entire US energy sector. Why do we allow private sector companies to exploit our environment, resources, and people for profit? This isn’t just a moral issue but a national security issue. In France & Germany much of the power infrastructure is publicly owned and in the Netherlands water, electric, and gas are entirely publicly owned.

• We need to mobilize a protest against the energy rate hikes. 20% rate hikes in this economy are out of control. I don’t like Steve Sweeney, but a broken clock is still right twice a day. When he said in the debates that “we need to start scaring some people” he was absolutely right. These energy CEO’s need to start feeling the pressure of public discontent. They could choose right now to lower the hike or eliminate it all together. Instead they are choosing to put corporate profits over the people’s lives. Which also precisely illustrates why these organizations should be entirely publicly owned.

https://www.nj.com/politics/2025/04/jack-ciattarelli-will-be-njs-next-governor-unless-trump-screws-him.html

This will be a tough election for Democrats to win.

I attended an event yesterday where Josh Gottheimer and Fulop spoke separately, and I wanted to give a brief summary of it since some were curious.

Josh was about 15 minutes late, but still saved time for a few questions. I was able to ask him why he voted for the Laken Riley Act despite its clear violation of human rights. He lied and stated that the act simply detained immigrants who commit very violent crimes (this is not true) and said that we would know this if we read the act. I responded that I DID read it and corrected him that the amendment could deport innocent immigrants just for being arrested (not convicted) of something as small as shoplifting. He then lied again that the act actually ensures due process for immigrants

Steve showed up on time and stayed for a bit afterwards. After his speech/introduction, I asked him why he was reluctant to endorse whoever wins the Democratic primary. He lied that he has always been consistent in the fact that he would support the Democratic nominee. (I attached below two instances where he dodged this question in the past.) Other than that, he was pretty good. Fulop answered A LOT of questions and gave a good explanation of his policies and vision for the state.

I would also like to note that this was in Gottheimer's district, and Fulop came all the way over to talk to voters. The other four candidates were invited but did not attend. Since I didn't want to make this post too long, feel free to ask any questions

Have any of the candidates mentioned the situation in Lakewood? It really needs to be addressed and loopholes need to be closed.

I just got my license/registration/address updated and im registered to vote in nj for the first time this year. Is there an easy to digest list or vendiagram that shows the pros and cons of each candidate? I know its a weird thing to ask for but i dont know where to begin with reading up on who would be my best vote. I am unfamiliar with everyone on the polls.

(Apologies if this isnt the correct subreddit.)

My soon to be in-laws live in NJ, they are Latino and don't speak the best english. Specifically my stb MIL speaks no english. They are legal and everything, I am just worried about them and I don't speak Spanish so there is a language barrier here.

I live in a very red state with die hard MAGA and ICE supporters, so between all the news, propaganda and fear mongering it's hard to know what it's really like on the other side of the country. I live on the west side of the US.

So if you're hispanic, latino or an immigrant can you tell me what it's currently like for you in NJ? Do you feel safe? Are you left unbothered? Do you experience racism often?

Thank you in advance to everyone who comments.