Democrats will choose a nominee for New Jersey governor from among six prominent candidates, including two big-city mayors, two members of Congress and two union leaders. With a redesigned ballot intended to give all candidates a fair shot, it is the first race in decades that was not largely predetermined by local party leaders.

The matchup in New Jersey's race for governor is officially set — and Tuesday’s primaries also laid down big indicators about the state of both political parties after the first major intraparty contests since the 2024 election.

Despite a packed field of candidates on Primary Election Day 2025 in New Jersey, it didn't take long for the winners to emerge: U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill (left) and former state Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli (right). Each won their party's nomination and will compete in November to fill the seat that will be vacated by two-term Gov. Phil Murphy.

That perfect slice of Jersey pizza. Garden State puns about putting down roots. A whirlwind lesson on Navy helicopters. And diners, lots of diners. If

New Jersey voters will select their nominees for governor on Tuesday, testing the direction of the Democratic and Republican parties in a state that shifted towards President Donald Trump in the 2024 election.

Ciattarelli on Wednesday immediately headed to voters who have long been part of the Democratic base, visiting a bakery in heavily Hispanic Dover, in Morris County, as his first stop. In the 2024 election, Hispanic voters in North Jersey drove much of the state’s shift toward Trump.

New Jersey voters on Tuesday will settle the Democratic and Republican primaries for governor in a contest that could send signals about how the public is responding to President Donald Trump’s agenda and how Democratic voters think their leaders should push back.

The race to become the next governor of New Jersey heated up on Tuesday as voters hit the polls for the major parties' respective primaries. With Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy term-limited, six Democrats and five Republicans are now vying for the state's top job in a race that could shape the future of the Garden State.