Key policy stances in the NJ governor race: Watch interviews

NEW JERSEY - The New Jersey gubernatorial primary election has arrived. Here's a quick glance into the policies of each candidate.

Candidates on the policies that matter to voters

What they're saying:

There are a total of 11 candidates running for New Jersey governor in the upcoming primary – the list in its entirety can be found HERE.

SKIP TO: Mikie Sherrill | Josh Gottheimer | Ras Baraka | Steven Fulop | Sean Spiller | Steve Sweeney | Jack Ciattarelli | Bill Spadea | Jon Bramnick | Mario Kranjac | Justin Barbera

Interviews between most of the candidates and NJ Now can be found below.

Mikie Sherrill

Healthcare:

"Making sure we’re addressing our broken healthcare system with better oversight, fixing the middlemen, and getting pharmaceutical drugs out to people. All of that can work to drive down prices and make New Jersey more affordable."

Affordability: 

"I was just talking to a woman in Jersey City who's paying 70 percent of her income in rent. You can't get ahead like that. You can't put anything aside. You can barely make food payments or utility payments. I was speaking to a woman in Paterson whose rent had gone up, so she had to go back to work – she was retired – just to afford her rent. A young couple in my area who has lost bid after bid on housing, they want to start their family near their mom and dad, and yet they can't afford anything even an hour away. The affordability crisis is hitting everybody in New Jersey."

President Trump's policies:

"Trump's policies are now affecting everyday New Jerseyans. I was just speaking yesterday to someone running a small business – they were saying how the imports they have for their small business were going to go up 145 percent with these tariffs. He said he could take about 50 percent, but 145 was going to put them out of business."

Josh Gottheimer

Tax cuts:

"My tax cut plan does three major things. One, across-the-board property tax of nearly 15 percent – a rental rebate for renters of $500 a year. For seniors, if you turn 70 and have lived in our great state for a decade, you'll get an annual senior bonus on your income taxes, to help you pay for things. And we're going to do everything we can with incentives to bring jobs here as well. I'm all focused on growing our great state and having more good-paying jobs."

Congestion pricing:

"I've been working closely with Governor Murphy to fight this congestion tax on hardworking families. Whether you're going for a doctor's appointment or you commute every day, nine dollars a day is a huge hit for that nurse or cop or firefighter or teacher who's really struggling."

Immigration:

"I agree with the governor's current directive in place. I'll put it simply… if you are a violent criminal and broke into someone's house with a gun, and you're undocumented, you shouldn't be here. You shouldn't just be in New Jersey, you shouldn't be in our country. I don't have any patience for that, and I think I share the views of most people in New Jersey there."

Ras Baraka

Baraka opted not to participate in an interview with New Jersey Now.

Healthcare:

"Healthcare is a fundamental human right. And health does not exist in isolation, it intersects with housing, income, and access to essential services. We have to dismantle the entrenched inequities that lead to tragic disparities, like Black women in New Jersey being seven times more likely to die in childbirth than white women

Affordability:

"People like to frame this as either a city problem or a suburban problem, but that's a false divide As the cost of living in New Jersey continues to climb, it’s clear we’re all in this together. We need a regional, holistic approach to address the root causes — anything less is just delaying the inevitable. Our current system of home rule is broken. It’s time for a new vision."

State budget:

"We will deconstruct the state budget and reassemble with equity as our north star; judging every decision as either a step towards equity or a step towards inequity. This will demand that we not only allocate dollars but that we follow those dollars to determine who those dollars actually reach."

Steven Fulop

Housing crisis:

"I think we need more transparency with who's participating and who's costing their taxpayers real money. When mayors say that they need more resources in order to build the housing around schools funding, around infrastructure, flooding, roads— it's true."

Affordability:

"We have the most concrete plan and the most honest plan... you pay a corruption tax in New Jersey. And that's based on the structure of government. You have lobbyists that run government, this political system that we have here needs wholesale change. I'm the only one talking about that."

Immigration:

"Not everybody here is a criminal that has come here undocumented. That's a manufactured conversation. How do you handle the undocumented people that are paying taxes here, that have been here for some period of time and are contributing to the economy? And that is the responsible conversation to have as governor. That’s what I’m going to do."

Sean Spiller

Immigration:

"The governor’s role is to support every single resident in this state. I say this as an immigrant who came here as a young boy — we can’t add fear to people’s lives. My brother and I never had to worry about ICE agents pulling us from classrooms. That’s not who we are. We can debate immigration reform and border control, but none of that should be dehumanizing or pit people against each other. That’s not how I’ll lead."

Affordability:

"When I talk about affordability, it’s not just about taxes. It’s about the total cost of living — housing, healthcare, childcare, early education. For example, childcare averages $19,000 a year. Property taxes are high because the state passes unfunded mandates to towns. When the state says we need water system upgrades or beach access but doesn’t pay for it, towns raise local property taxes. The only way to fix this is to invest at the state level and stop forcing towns to foot the bill alone. We’ve done efficiency work in Montclair, but we need to stop the cycle of passing costs down."

School funding:

"Right now, the formula doesn’t properly account for students with special needs — and we know those costs vary widely. It also doesn’t adjust quickly if a district’s wealth changes. We need to smooth those edges, maybe expand the calculation window to five or ten years. The formula met the Supreme Court requirement for a ‘thorough and efficient’ education, but it was supposed to be reviewed and never has. We’ve got to make those changes."

Steve Sweeney

Affordability:

"When I was Senate President, I sponsored the two percent property tax cap. That kept the average bill from going to $15,000 — it’s already at $10,000. As Gloucester County Freeholder Director, we consolidated services, closed jails, and saved $20 million a year. That’s what a governor can do: be the biggest voice in the room pushing shared services, reducing costs and making this state affordable. It’s hard work, and it can hurt some feelings, but I’ve done it."

Taxes:

"I’ve pledged no new taxes and no increases. We need to go line by line through the budget and prioritize spending. I support consolidating school districts — every district should be Pre-K to 12. Right now, we just assume the sending districts and regional high schools are aligned on curriculum, but they’re not."

Immigration:

"We need to be honest with people. Right now, we’re giving folks false hope. ICE will do what it wants, no matter what a sanctuary policy says. I don’t support going after people who are working and contributing every day. But if someone commits a crime, they should be deported. That was the position of Clinton, Obama and Biden – the difference is Obama did it legally and with dignity. Trump is turning it into a reality TV show. That’s not right. We need honesty and humanity."

Jack Ciattarelli

Immigration:

"Executive order number one of Governor Ciattarelli: We won’t have sanctuary cities, nor will we be a sanctuary state. I think that only encourages illegal immigration. And who am I, as a governor, to tell any mayor or police chief that they can’t work in partnership with a federal agency to ensure safety in their community? Public safety is our priority."

President Trump's policies:

"The President is doing exactly what he said he was going to do, and I just read this morning that we're — with Canada and Mexico — now going to start importing more American goods. He also said there might be some short-term pain for the long-term gain. I think we have to give him a chance to see if these things work."

Affordability:

"Governor Murphy’s economic and fiscal policies have failed. If he grew the economic base, he wouldn't have to continue to increase taxes. If you take your family bowling, you're going to pay more. You’re going for laser tag? You’re going to pay more. You’re going to trade in a used car? You’re going to pay more. It's never-ending. The only way to get out of this situation is to grow our economy. You can't tax your way out. You cannot spend your way out. You've got to grow the base. That's what I plan to do as governor."

Bill Spadea

NJ Transit:

"New Jersey Transit needs an overhaul in logistics. Cancel the mandate on electric vehicles – the cost is five to six times as much. These buses weigh a lot more than traditional buses, so they cause more harm on the roads. We’ve got buses running in the middle of the night without passengers. It’d be cheaper to Uber people in the middle of the night than to run a bus that’s empty. We need to look at how we can partner with smart minds around the state, like Boxcar — a New Jersey-based company running private buses to Manhattan at a profit and for cheaper."

Affordability:

"We’re going to implement school choice. We need to have the money follow the student. Parents don’t have a choice in education right now, and it’s driving up our costs. I’m going to issue an executive order to force the town to pull out the education portion of the property tax bill. One of the big drivers of our school costs is the cost of the 900,000 illegal aliens that are here. We now have this burden put on our public schools, and American taxpayers are footing the bill."

Immigration:

"The number one job of the new governor, come January 2026, is to cooperate fully with President Trump and Tom Homan, the new Border Czar, to end the sanctuary for criminal aliens. Right now, we do not enforce federal detainer orders. It’s outrageous. You’ve got criminal aliens — people that are here illegally, and have been accused of some heinous crimes — walking around in our neighborhoods because this governor will not enforce the law."

Jon Bramnick

President Trump's policies:

"If he does something good for New Jersey, I'm with him. If he doesn't do something that's not good for New Jersey, I don't. And that's what the people want from a governor. I support his plan to spend money [on infrastructure]. I support his border security. But I didn't support him giving pardons to 1,500 people who hit police officers."

Affordability:

"That billion dollars that was spent last year, and the years before, that should [have been] given back to the taxpayers… it will reduce property taxes if we give it back to Boards of Education. There was one budget item – I believe was $17 million for undisclosed projects – that's not gonna happen with me as governor, I can tell you that."

Immigration:

"First you have to follow federal law… I don’t want to see people [who] have been there for 25 years who are taxpayers, deported. But get rid of the criminals."

Mario Kranjac

Kranjac opted not to participate in an interview with New Jersey Now.

Affordability:

"Our taxes are too high. We have a lot of fraud, waste, abuse, corruption built into the system – that comes out, our $58 billion budget goes down to $40 to $43 billion."

Immigration:

"We need to get rid of the sanctuary state status – all of the sanctuary cities need to stop being sanctuaries, that's very expensive. We need to end that."

Property taxes:

"Mandate every townhouse to lower their property taxes by at least two percent per year to start with, but the real way to cut it is by cutting expenses – if you cut expenses, you also cut the need for money, so the taxes will go down as a result."

Justin Barbera

Barbera opted not to participate in an interview with New Jersey Now.

Education:

"Education is our number one problem. We need students that can perform once they graduate, we need them to understand how everything works, for them to have the free-thinking capabilities and fundamentals that our original education system offered them back in 1979 and before."

Taxes:

"We need to lower the taxes for residents that have no children – we need to lower the taxes and remove them for veterans, disabled and seniors, and we need to do that in a matter that makes sense for New Jersey."

President Trump's policies:

"My administration will stand with President Trump. He's been exceptional, one of the best presidents I've seen in my lifetime, and I was here for Ronald Reagan. I stand with our president and I back up all his ideas, I'd even like to add to them."

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