Public contractors contributed more than $18 million to New Jersey candidates and political committees in 2025, shattering a nearly two-decade-old record during the first gubernatorial election conducted under relaxed pay-to-play restrictions.
An analysis released today by the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission found that contractor contributions were nearly 11% higher than the previous nominal-dollar record of $16.4 million set in 2007 and 87% above the amount reported in 2022, the year before the state rewrote its campaign finance laws.
The surge followed the enactment of the Elections Transparency Act in April 2023. The law allowed contractors whose government work was awarded through a “fair and open” process to contribute at the same levels as other donors without putting their public contracts at risk.
Contractors had faced considerably tighter contribution limits since the mid-2000s.
The 2025 gubernatorial election, the first held under the new rules, became the most expensive election in state history, with primary and general election spending reaching $260 million.
Public contractors supplied nearly $2.4 million to gubernatorial candidates and affiliated committees — almost 16 times the amount contributed in the 2021 governor’s race and nearly twice the combined total from the previous four gubernatorial elections.
The largest beneficiary was Change NJ, an independent expenditure committee that supported Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli. The group received $832,700 from contractors.
Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s campaign received $354,435, while Ciattarelli’s campaign took in $319,790.
Kitchen Table Conservatives, another group supporting Ciattarelli, received $282,800. One Giant Leap PAC, which backed Sherrill, collected $241,854.
Other gubernatorial candidates and their allies received smaller amounts. A committee supporting Steven Fulop received $104,900; a pro-Bill Spadea group collected $75,000; Steve Sweeney’s campaign received $41,400; Ras Baraka took in $36,668; and Josh Gottheimer received $19,000.
Twelve percent of all contractor contributions were directly connected to the gubernatorial contest, up from 2% in 2021.
The average contractor contribution reached $1,791, the highest since ELEC began requiring annual business-entity reports in 2007.
Uber Technologies was the largest contractor donor, contributing more than $1.1 million while reporting $8.5 million in public contracts.
Consulting & Municipal Engineers contributed $864,211 and reported nearly $86 million in contracts. Remington & Vernick Engineers gave $820,100 and held contracts worth nearly $79 million.
Eight of the ten largest contractor donors were engineering firms. The others were an insurance agency and a transportation company.
Together, the ten largest contributors gave nearly $5.6 million, representing 31% of all contractor donations.
Contractor money was also concentrated among a comparatively small group of political organizations. Sixteen committees that each received at least $200,000 accounted for nearly one-third of all contributions.
The Middlesex County Democrats received $569,850, and Bergen County Democrats took in $559,100.
The New Jersey Democratic State Committee collected $348,025, while Democratic organizations in Burlington, Gloucester, Hudson and Essex counties received a combined $1.08 million.
The Ocean County Republican Finance Committee received $281,400.
Contractors also played a significant role in the Jersey City mayoral election and runoff. Committees supporting James E. McGreevey and his council slate received $375,500, while James Solomon and his council candidates collected $275,000.
Continuing political committees and independent expenditure groups were the largest recipient category, receiving more than $3.9 million. County political parties collected nearly $3.8 million, followed by municipal council candidates at $2.4 million and Assembly candidates at $1.5 million.
ELEC said approximately $5.2 million directly financed the gubernatorial and Assembly elections, along with the Jersey City mayoral contest and runoff.
The 2023 law also changed what contractors must report.
Business entities are no longer required to list contributions to state, county, and local party organizations or legislative leadership committees on their annual disclosure forms. Contractors generally must report contributions to independent expenditure groups only when the group is controlled directly or indirectly by the contractor, an uncommon arrangement.
To account for the gaps, ELEC reviewed reports filed by the recipients themselves. Those records identified $2.6 million in contractor contributions to party and legislative leadership committees, along with $717,350 given to independent expenditure groups.
Those separately identified contributions totaled $3.2 million, or 18% of the statewide amount.
Contractors reported 28,075 government contracts in 2025, the largest number on record. Their combined value was $16.6 billion, down 6% from the record $17.7 billion reported in 2024 but 73% above the annual average since disclosure began.
Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield and five affiliates accounted for more than two-thirds of the total, reporting $11.4 billion in contracts and $262,700 in contributions.
That included a $9.6 billion contract with the New Jersey Department of Human Services to manage health coverage provided through the state’s Medicaid program.
Earle Asphalt Company reported $173.6 million in contracts and $313,950 in contributions. George Harms Construction reported $133.1 million in contracts and contributed $253,900.
Businesses receiving at least $50,000 in public contracts must file annual reports with ELEC disclosing their contracts and reportable political contributions.
ELEC based its analysis on business-entity reports filed by June 26 and cautioned that some totals could change as late or amended reports are submitted.
Editor’s note: these numbers are reported by the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission, and it is possible that the same dollar, as it passes through multiple committees, is counted more than once.