With 11 candidates vying for votes in New Jersey to become the new governor, they will need more than campaigning savvy and eloquent debates to stand out. The six Democrats and five Republicans may need a little faith to end up in Trenton. Even though 9.5 million people live in the Garden State, the candidates only required 2,500 voter signatures to qualify for the Gubernatorial run.
The primary election is in June, but do people of faith have enough information to vote for the person who best represents their interests? New Jersey is a diverse state, full of faith leaders from all over the spectrum, racially, culturally, spiritually, and politically. The power of the community is never overlooked because faith becomes mobilized there.
Last December, two New Jersey churches won against the state when a federal judge “temporarily overturned a state constitutional provision that barred public funding for houses of worship, ruling it runs afoul of federal constitutional protections of religious freedom.” The two Morris County churches exclaimed it was religious discrimination, and the state agreed.
Despite that conservative ruling, the Democratic field hopes to keep the state blue following Phil Murphy’s repeat bid. Now that he is the longest-standing Democratic governor in the nation, he feels there is some mojo for the DNC. Yet, he is term-limited and not seeking re-election, so in January 2026, the slate is washed clean.
Democratic Primary Candidates
For the Democrats, the candidates are:
- Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka
- Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop
- U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ)
- U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ)
- Steve Sweeney, a former state Senate president
- Sean Spiller, president of the New Jersey Education Association and former Montclair mayor
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka is the most intriguing to some. His eloquence in debates or commercials has been described as mesmerizing. His problem is that it gets cold way over there on the far left in a centrist state. Unfortunately, his incorrigible jailing at an ICE facility earlier this month caused the mayor to be charged with trespassing, and the federal officers didn’t realize who they were putting in handcuffs. He was there with 76 faith leaders, representing Atlantic to Bergen.
While there isn’t much to observe about Mayor Baraka’s faith in the media or online, he made headlines earlier this month working alongside “Faith in Action” and “Faith in New Jersey.” The two interfaith and multiracial organizations are sociopolitical in origin. Clergy members of each group demanded that recent ICE detainees be released and that the City of Newark conduct all inspections. Ras Baraka was arrested for trespassing for forcing himself into a closed tour of the facility.
Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop is a first-generation American who has matriarchal ties to the Holocaust. His father was a Sniper in the Israeli army during the Six-Day War. As a proud Marine, strong triathlete, and bold Jewish man, many voters in New Jersey are looking at Fulop to represent them in a couple of months.
Patheos asked each candidate’s campaign for statements about their faith. Fulop, a man who grew up in a family of Holocaust survivors, was the only one to respond. His quote about faith measures pause and sincerity.
“When my parents immigrated to the United States, they felt it was essential that I receive a strong Jewish education to understand our history, our faith, and the values that guided them through unthinkable hardship,” Fulop said. “That foundation, rooted in Jewish tradition and broader Judeo-Christian principles, has shaped how I govern. Faith, history, and a deep connection to my heritage are central to my life.”
Representative Mikie Sherrill (D-Montclair) is from New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District. She is a proud wife, former U.S. Navy helicopter pilot, and mother of four, and she is devout in her Roman Catholic faith.
Rep. Sherrill has been seen in mass around Washington, D.C., and New Jersey. She prides herself on being a Catholic and told Georgetown Law that her religious upbringing instilled in her an understanding that she needed to “give back.” “I think the Jesuits are the epitome of that kind of teaching,” she said.
In 2021, she admitted an ethical breach by failing to disclose the sale of stocks.
Representative Josh Gottheimer (D-Tenafly) is considered the most moderate Democratic candidate. He is passionate about cutting taxes and “making life more affordable” in New Jersey. The thing most middle-class residents have with Goittheimer is that despite his pleas to reduce costs, he lives quite well and is known as a true ace of the stock market. Bull or bear, this guy can ring a bell. While he’s not known as a prolific man of faith, he’s praying that a story angle will float away in the next two months.
Rep. Gottheimer shares cultural and religious pride with Mayor Fulop. He is the son of Jewish parents, a preschool teacher and a small business owner. Growing up, Gottheimer stocked shelves at his father’s store. Interestingly, he has taken bold stances against anti-Semitism and Islamic hate.
Steve Sweeney, 65, is a former state Senate president who desperately wants to reform New Jersey’s state budget to address housing challenges. That’s an admirable platform, which is on brand for someone whose public service career has consistently championed the common man. Regarding faith, it seems that most of the time when he’s at a church, he’s politicking at neighboring churches, drumming up support.
Sweeney grew up in a devoted Catholic household in Pennsauken Township, N.J. An ironworker by trade, Sweeney was asked to oversee union locals in New Jersey and southeastern Pennsylvania. He entered public service after his daughter was born with Down syndrome, determined to make a difference in the lives of those with disabilities. His strong advocacy for children with disabilities and adults in need has been attributed to his childhood faith.
Lastly, Sean Spiller, the former Mayor of Montclair, is a big supporter of the public education system. Before politics, he enjoyed a lengthy career teaching science and eventually became president of the New Jersey Education Association in 2021. Those 200,000 members are listening to Spiller, but although he claims to be a churchgoing man, his controversy as Mayor has some questioning his personal motives and private relationships.
A career-long educator, Spiller advocates for inclusive culture, education and religion. One of his quotes made headlines in his home state following what he said in a story for the New Jersey Education Association.
“There is no place in New Jersey for hatred and violence, and no one should fear for their safety because of who they are, what they believe, and where or whether they pray,” he said. “Since before its founding, the United States has stood as a beacon of religious freedom. America has become a nation in which those persecuted for their beliefs around the world seek refuge.”
Republican Primary Candidates
Each of those Democratic candidates offers solace in keeping the Governor’s seat in Trenton. Still, five compelling candidates on the other side of the aisle threaten to turn that seat red—a feat not done since Chris Christie vacated the seat to run for president.
They include:
- Jack Ciattarelli, the 2021 GOP nominee and a former state assemblyman
- State Sen. Jon Bramnick (R-Union)
- Bill Spadea, a former conservative talk radio host.
- Justin Barbera, a contractor from Vincentown
- Former Englewood Cliffs Mayor Mario Kranjac
A Burlington County contractor, Justin Barbera, epitomizes the everyday man who desires to make his voice heard. His angst for New Jersey policymakers is painfully evident in interviews and live appearances. A man proud of his Christian faith and military upbringing, Barbera hopes to make waves at the polls in two months; even if he doesn’t win, he only wants to make a difference.
Barbera stepped forward with his Christian faith when he entered the Gubernatorial race. South Jersey News stated of Barbera, “He is a Trump supporter and emphasizes his Christian faith and military background as central to his values.” While few articles discuss his faith or quotes from him, Barbera has repeated this quote during the race.
Mario Kranjac made news as Mayor of Englewood Cliffs for saying he was a “Forever Trumper.” He was the first Republican to earn the city’s vote in four decades. He has said that he stood on faith to say what needed to be told in that role. Regretfully, his voice is getting limited opportunities to be heard in this race as he didn’t earn enough signatures to get him into the next Gubernatorial debate.
As recently as this past March, Kranjac attended a Rosary Rally in support of Catholic priests who President Trump pardoned because they were trying “to help women and their unborn children facing crisis pregnancies.” The president wanted to do this, but former NJ Gov. Phil Murphy did not.
Bill Spadea‘s voice is familiar to many voters across New Jersey, thanks to his top-rated morning radio show on 101.5 FM. Before that, he shared his conservative views via television on FOX TV. Regretfully for him, Spadea has been considered “too conservative for the Republican Party.” If Spadea has a chance, he must learn to walk both sides of a fence and ask his friends in church to stir up his faith.
Spadea has shared the Christian faith on the radio, but no headlines connect to a particular church. For instance, he has supported St. Anianus Coptic Orthodox Church in Monroe on several occasions but has also been linked to several Baptist churches and Landmark Church (a non-denominational congregation) for speaking opportunities.
Jon Bramnick, 71, is the senior-most candidate for Murphy’s seat, whose flight of ads has centered around insurance companies paying what they owe. As an Assemblyman from 2003 to 2021, he strived to work with influential residents and business leaders in a DOGE-like fashion to make efficiencies in the government.
He won a bar association competition that honored him with the title of “Funniest Lawyer in New Jersey”. As for faith, religion is not a banner Bramnick has been known to fly before his candidacy. Wikipedia notes that Bramnick is Jewish. The family man did congratulate Pope Leo XIV on social media.
Jack Ciattarelli is easily the Republican frontrunner and has President Donald Trump‘s endorsement. He went head-to-head against Gov. Murphy in 2021 on a platform of reform to school funding and a business sense to standard political solutions. The former State Representative has enough fanfare and popularity to not necessarily ride on the Trumpian coattails and be his person in the Gubernatorial race. In a staunchly religious state, primarily Catholic, Ciattarelli stood up against a popular Hudson County pastor in 2021 for not living a pious life. He has no problem being an individual when his morals are involved.
He is another unaffiliated but strategically connected multifaith candidate. Ciattrelli has stood by Catholic, Jewish and Islamic communities. He stresses the need for faith in someone’s life, but nothing connects him via cursory online searches.
This gubernatorial race features people of conviction and cause. It is crucial to vote according to the precepts of someone’s faith. Understanding where candidates stand in faith is the first step to the local polling place.
We welcome candidates who would like to expound on their faith to send us a statement or essay to [email protected]
Patheos Political Panel: What Does My Faith Say About Political Authority
with Dennis Knapp, Neil Ghosh, and Kermit Zarley
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