SOUTH JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — Early in-person voting begins June 3 for New Jersey’s primary election. It’s been at least 40 years since the state had a Democratic primary this interesting this late, with six viable contenders still in the race for governor.
Micah Rasmussen from Rider University said there is a frontrunner. “Every poll we’ve seen has shown Mikie Sherrill is ahead,” though he said it’s far from an insurmountable lead.”
Sherrill is up against former Senate President Steve Sweeney, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, NJEA President Sean Spiller, U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, and Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop. Rasmussen said they’re all still very much in the race with potential paths to victory if their supporters show up and vote.
“There are a lot of reasons why our primaries haven’t been so competitive,” Rasmussen said. “But this may be a sign of things to come, that voters actually have choices.”
He said there’s about 200,000 votes already cast through the mail, with Camden County accounting for 30,000 of those so far.
“And that is, by far, the lead as far as the rest of the state goes,” Rasmussen said.
In a tough-to-read race, Ben Dworkin from Rowan University said county party endorsements still matter, even without the county line ballot format, because the organizations bring armies of volunteers and long-established credibility among frequent primary voters.
“Those kinds of things will make a difference, especially in a low turnout election,” Dworkin said. It’ll be interesting to watch how the votes come in this week.
“If we suddenly see a surge in voting from a particular area that’s known to be the base of one candidate or the other, that will make a difference.”
He expects 500,000 to 600,000 total Democratic primary votes, with the winner potentially coming in at about 175,000.
Meet the Candidates
Newark mayor Ras Baraka is unapologetically progressive and made national headlines with his recent arrest (charges have since been dropped) at an ICE detention facility in Newark. Baraka said it’s time for New Jersey to reimagine how the state pays the bills, who we expect to carry the costs, and how we invest in our future.
Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop is a former U.S. Marine and Iraq War veteran. He has been running as the anti-establishment candidate and has positioned himself as a progressive candidate, touting his policies as mayor to ensure paid sick leave, public safety reform, protections for small businesses, and reentry programs for people who served jail time.
U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer is a University of Pennsylvania and Harvard Law School graduate, who worked at Microsoft and Ford, and has earned himself a reputation as a problem solver in Washington. He’s running on making New Jersey more affordable through lower taxes, cutting bureaucratic red tape, and creating jobs.
U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill is the front-runner in the race, receiving important support from several county organizations. Sherrill is a mother of four and a former Navy helicopter pilot who said she wants to make life more affordable for families and expand opportunities to help kids thrive.
New Jersey Education Association President and former Montclair Mayor Sean Spiller failed to earn enough funding to qualify for the final debate, but a NJEA-backed super PAC has spent nearly $40 million putting Spiller’s face on TVs and billboards across the state. Spiller was a Rutgers hockey captain and said addressing housing costs is his top priority.
Former Senate President and Ironworkers Union leader Steve Sweeney has the support of South Jersey Democrats. He said he’s the one with the experience and ideas to get things done in Trenton, including his most recent proposal to create a public healthcare option for all New Jersey residents.
On the Republican side, Rasmussen and Dworkin said Jack Ciattarelli has a strong lead in polls, plus the “Trump card” with an endorsement from the President, making it unlikely that Bill Spadea or Jon Bramnick will close the gap.
Early in-person voting is open through Sunday, June 8. Election Day is Tuesday, June 10th.