Gov. Mikie Sherrill has been in office for less than six months, but the jockeying for New Jersey’s next gubernatorial election is already beginning behind the scenes.
The 2029 Republican primary is less than three years away, and the filing deadline is 992 days from today. No major Republican has announced a candidacy, but party insiders are already discussing a field that could include legislators and local officials.
History offers Republicans some encouragement: Democrats have not won four consecutive New Jersey gubernatorial elections since 1965, when Gov. Richard Hughes won re-election after succeeding fellow Democrat Robert Meyner. Sherrill’s 2025 victory gave Democrats three straight gubernatorial wins for the first time in more than six decades.
As a starting point, here’s the New Jersey Globe’s early short list of potential Sherrill challengers, for a change in reverse alphabetical order.
* State Sen. Michael Testa (R-Vineland), 50, has been eyeing a statewide campaign for the last few years, and it would be almost surprising if he didn’t view 2029 as the year to take his shot. The Cumberland County Republican Chairman first went to the Senate in 2019, unseating interim State Sen. Robert Andrzeczak (R-Lower Township) in a special election after Jeff Van Drew was elected to Congress. Testa has since become one of the GOP’s strongest vote-getters in South Jersey.
* State Sen. Douglas Steinhardt (R-Lopatcong), 57, is a former Republican State Chairman and briefly a candidate for governor in 2021; he was widely viewed as one of the stronger potential contenders that year. He’s a formidable fundraiser with a strong network of friends across the state, and he’s considered solidly conservative. He was close enough to the Trump White House to be the top pick for U.S. Attorney after the 2024 election, but declined the post to remain in the Senate
* Bill Spadea, 57, the longtime NJ 101.5 radio host, mounted an energetic gubernatorial campaign in 2025 before losing the Republican primary to Jack Ciattarelli. His statewide name recognition and loyal conservative following would make him an immediate factor if he decided to run again. Now he has a database of donors and volunteers – and unlimited drive and focus. Seven of thirteen gubernatorial nominees since 1981 had previously lost a statewide primary.
* State Sen. Holly Schepisi (R-River-Vale), 54, is a veteran legislator from the largest county in the state, and has been considered as a potential statewide candidate before. A proven vote-getter, she can raise money and is one of two Republican women in the State Senate. The prospect of a primary fight doesn’t frighten her: she challenged a 40-year incumbent state senator in a GOP primary in order to secure her seat in the upper house.
* Middletown Mayor Tony Perry, 35, represents a next generation of Republican leadership. Perry oversees one of New Jersey’s largest municipalities and has increasingly been mentioned by party leaders as a potential statewide candidate with executive experience. He’s a strong fundraiser. In 2025, Perry was short-listed by Jack Ciattarelli as a candidate for lieutenant governor. Perry is the Republican nominee for Monmouth County Commissioner this year and is a heavy favorite to win.
* Assemblyman Greg Myhre (R-Stafford), 50, has won two big Republican primaries: first as an off-the-line candidate in Stafford, where he led a slate of seven candidates who took out a team of incumbents, and in 2023 when he defeated veteran Assemblywoman DiAnne Gove (R-Long Beach) in a vote of Ocean County Republicans. The former mayor has won the respect of his caucus and appears to be one of the Republicans people listen to when he speaks in Trenton.
* Assemblyman Paul Kanitra (R-Point Pleasant Beach), 46, has quickly become one of the Assembly Republican caucus’s most visible members and has built a following both along the Shore and among conservative activists. He honed his communication skills as the mayor of a Jersey Shore town that was frequently in the news, and he represents parts of the two biggest Republican counties in the state: Ocean and Monmouth.
* Assemblyman Mike Inganamort (R-Chester), 42, is serving his second term representing Sussex and parts of Morris and Warren counties, where he’s making his mark as an eloquent advocate of conservative governance and fiscal responsibility. A former mayor of Chester and onetime top aide to Rep. Scott Garrett (R-Wantage), Inganamort was highly regarded enough to be short-listed as Jack Ciattarelli’s running mate last year as a freshman lawmaker.
* Monmouth County Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon, 58, has been punching at Sherrill and Democratic leaders from her new post as Republican State Chair. Right now, she’s been tasked with overseeing a weakened state party organization in dire need of rebuilding – and she stepped up in what could be a solid Democratic year. Her party leadership position gives her access to Republican leaders and fundraisers from across the state.
Of course, the list is far from complete.
The 2026 Trump midterms. 2027 legislative elections, the 2028 presidential race, and Sherrill’s first term will all reshape the political landscape before Republican primary voters head to the polls. New Jersey gubernatorial races have a history of producing late entrants and unexpected contenders, and nearly three years remain before candidates must commit.
For now, Republicans have the unusual luxury of time. With no county lines, prospective candidates can watch a new governor establish a record while a deep bench of prospective candidates weighs whether to challenge an incumbent seeking to make New Jersey history with a fourth consecutive Democratic gubernatorial victory.
Sherrill’s greatest threat could be her own party: a Democratic Congress, followed by a Democratic president in two years – and with ideological splits among Democrats – could work against her re-election.