Six candidates will take the stage on Sunday evening for the first debate in the race for the Democratic nomination for governor of New Jersey, where the two-term incumbent, Phil Murphy, is term-limited.
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, Rep. Josh Gottheimer, Rep. Mikie Sherrill, New Jersey Education Association President Sean Spiller, and former Senate President Steve Sweeney will take part in the one-hour and 45-minute Democratic debate being held at Rider University in Lawrenceville.
The Republican debate comes two days later, on Tuesday, February 4, 2025, at 7:00 PM at Rider. Four candidates are participating: State Sen. Jon Bramnick, former Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli, former State Sen. Ed Durr, and NJ 101.5 radio host Bill Spadea.
The New Jersey Globe, On New Jersey, and the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University sponsor both debates. Save Jersey will also sponsor the Republican debate. The debates are presented by Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey.
Laura Jones, the host of “New Jersey Politics with Laura Jones,” a weekly public affairs show for MeTV-WJLP and On New Jersey, will serve as the debate moderator. Panelists will include New Jersey Globe editor David Wildstein, New Jersey Globe political reporter Joey Fox, and Micah Rasmussen, the director of the Rebovich Institute at Rider University. Save Jersey Editor Matt Rooney will be a panelist for the Republican debate. Some questions will also come from students at Rider University.
The early debates will come at a time when candidates are seeking to break out of increasingly large fields, and likely without dependence on county organization lines to produce votes. County clerks will commence sending out vote-by-mail ballots in just eleven weeks.
The debates will air live on streaming and social media platforms. The New Jersey Globe invited candidates based on viable paths to win their party’s nomination.
The Democratic debate immediately follows the Newark Star-Ledger’s final print edition on the morning of February 2, ending the storied newspaper’s 192-year run.