Two New Jersey House members will launch their campaigns for the Democratic nomination for governor over the next seven days, the New Jersey Globe has confirmed.
Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-Tenafly) will announce his candidacy on Friday, November 15 at the Runway Diner in South Hackensack. Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-Montclair) will launch her campaign on Monday, November 18.
Fresh off successful re-election bids, the two Members of Congress become the fifth and sixth Democrats to join the race to succeed term-limited Rep. Phil Murphy in 2025. They join Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, former Senate President Steve Sweeney, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, and Montclair Mayor Sean Spiller, the president of the New Jersey Education Association.
Gottheimer, a former Clinton White House speechwriter, was re-elected to a fifth term last week by an 11-point margin in the 4th district. He first won in 2016, defeating seven-term Rep. Scott Garrett (R-Wantage) in a district carried by Donald Trump.
A former U.S. Navy helicopter pilot and Assistant U.S. Attorney, Sherrill flipped the 11th in 2018 after frightening House Appropriations Committee Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-Harding) out of the race. She won re-election on November 5 by 14 points.
Gottheimer and Sherrill needed to wait until after the 2024 general election to announce their candidacies to avoid issues related to matching funds under New Jersey’s Gubernatorial Public Financing Law.
On the Republican side, former Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli (R-Somerville), State Sen. Jon Bramnick (R-Westfield), NJ 101.5 radio personality Bill Spadea, and former State Sen. Ed “The Trucker” Durr (R-Logan) are already in the race.
There are additional minor candidates.
Democrats are seeking a third consecutive win in a New Jersey governor’s race for the first time since 1961.