New Jersey Democratic gubernatorial primary candidate who most focused on local issues has best chance to win, pundit says
The race to become the next governor of New Jersey heated up on Tuesday as voters hit the polls for the major parties' respective primaries.
With Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy term-limited, six Democrats and five Republicans are now vying for the state's top job in a race that could shape the future of the Garden State. As of June 1, more than 6.5 million New Jerseyans were registered to vote, setting the stage for a high-stakes election year.
According to the New Jersey Division of Elections, more than 500,000 votes have already been cast, including mail-in voting. Turnout is always a huge factor in primary battles and it's possible a crowded field could mean a winner takes as little as 20% of the vote and the candidates have to decide how manage the political divide.
Polls closed at 8 p.m. For live results, scroll to the bottom of the page.
The Democratic candidates
The candidates in the Democratic field are Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, Reps. Josh Gottheimer and Mikie Sherrill, Sean Spiller, the head of New Jersey Education Association, the state's largest teacher's union, and former State 365bet官方网站 President Steve Sweeney.
Sherill voted Tuesday morning in Montclair, Baraka voted in Newark, Fulop cast his ballot in Jersey City, and Gottheimer cast his in Tenafly.
"I did my first train station at 7 a.m. today, hit bunch of diners. Great energy," Gottheimer said of the reception he received.
- Watch: Candidates for N.J. governor face off in primary election. Watch in-depth interviews on the issues.
Dislike of President Trump vs. pocketbook issues
Matthew Hale, associate professor and the MPA Program Chair for the Department of Political Science and Public Affairs at Seton Hall University, said the makeup of Democratic voters in New Jersey is more toward the center.
"Democrats in New Jersey are centrist. Republicans are for the most [part] in New Jersey, they like things in the middle. You can do whatever you want as long as your yard is clean and as long as you take care of your neighbor, take care of your hometown," Hale said.
The Democratic candidates have each tried to top each other in their opposition to Donald Trump, and the president has in many ways defined the race, but political experts say while national issues like immigration will be a factor, voters will likely take the local approach.
"All of [the candidates] think that Donald Trump is the worst thing that has ever happened to America, so they are all gonna fight over that," Hale said. "I think pocketbook issues are really important. I think clearly Trump is gonna be part of the story and people are gonna say this one hates Trump, this one loves Trump, but give me my tax break, and how do I get that?" Hale said.
Hale said the candidates know they cannot make their message only about the president.
"It's just a question of, what are the other things that you're going to be talking about? Are you going to be talking about taxes? Are going to be talking about affordability? You're talking about lowering the cost of living in New Jersey?" Hale said.
Voters say they want their issues addressed
Voters turned out Tuesday in the hopes of making a difference.
"Crime reduction, trauma-informed care. It's important to build up the morale of the community," one woman said.
"Prices are going up with the food, the cost of living, period," another woman said.
"Economic development is one of the top priorities on my mind," a man said.
"I wanted to make sure I voted so that my community is represented by somebody who is looking out for the single moms, is looking out for the elderly, is making sure everybody is being presented and helped in the community," another woman said.
The actual ballot is different this year. The so-called "county-line" ballot, which gave party favorites prominent ballot spots, is gone, giving challengers a greater chance.
"The county line, we have competitive races. That's the biggest effect. I do think down the line, in the future, there could be a lot of effect. We're going to see candidates at the Assembly level, the 365bet官方网站 level, who are more partisan, because we don't have the county line anymore," Hale said.
