Thirty-eight state legislative incumbents faced contested primaries in 2025, representing 22% of all incumbents who filed for re-election. While that was two fewer than the 40 contested incumbents in 2021, it was larger by percentage than each of the three previous odd-year cycles following presidential elections. Twelve percent were contested in 2013, 16% in 2017,…
There are eight open seats in this year’s state legislative elections, four percent of all 180 seats up for election. That is the lowest by percentage of any odd-year cycle since 2011. An open seat is where no incumbent filed to run, meaning it is guaranteed to be won by a newcomer. Ballotpedia uses the…
Mikie Sherrill (D) and Jack Ciattarelli (R) are running in the general election for governor of New Jersey on Nov. 4, 2025. Incumbent Gov. Phil Murphy (D) is term-limited. On an episode of On the Ballot, NJ.com’s Brent Johnson said that affordability will be a key issue in the election: “Affordability is always gonna be…
There were 46 contested state legislative primaries in 2025. That was 16% of the 280 possible primaries between the New Jersey General Assembly and the Virginia House of Delegates, the only two state legislative chambers with elections this year. The total number of contested primaries in 2025—46—was two more and a 5% increase from 2021.…
The three incumbents defeated in 2025 state legislative primaries were all first-term Democrats in the New Jersey General Assembly. Here’s a closer look at the incumbents who lost and what they shared in common. The trio all first took office in 2024. They represented 1.7% of incumbents who ran for re-election and 7.9% of incumbents…
New Jersey held state legislative primaries on Tuesday, June 10, the first of two states doing so this year. Virginia will hold state legislative primaries on June 17. At least one Democratic incumbent—Garnet Hall—lost, representing 1.3% of the 76 incumbents running for re-election and 2.9% of the 35 contested incumbents. With 35 incumbents (46%) in…
Jack Ciattarelli (R) defeated Bill Spadea, Jon Bramnick, and three other candidates in the June 10, 2025, Republican primary for governor of New Jersey. Gov. Phil Murphy (D) was term-limited, meaning the office was open. The last Republican governor was Chris Christie, who left office in 2018. Rider University’s Micah Rasmussen said, “It has been…
New Jersey has 29 contested state legislative primaries in 2025, more than in any year since 2011 and an increase of 38% from the preceding cycle. Twenty-two of the 29 contested primaries are for Democrats, 83% more than the 12 Democratic primaries in 2023. Seven primaries are for Republicans, 22% down from nine in 2023.…
Eleven candidates are running in the nonpartisan general election for three at-large seats on the Newark Public Schools school board on April 15, 2025. The three candidates who receive the most votes will serve three-year terms on the board. Incumbent Kanileah Anderson is running for re-election, while incumbents Crystal Williams and Daniel Gonzalez are not seeking re-election. This election will be the first since January…
Six candidates are running in the Democratic primary for governor of New Jersey on June 10, 2025. Those candidates are: Ras Baraka (D), Steve Fulop (D), Josh Gottheimer (D), Mikie Sherrill (D), Sean Spiller (D), and Stephen Sweeney (D). Incumbent Gov. Phil Murphy(D) is term-limited. Fairleigh Dickinson University’s Dan Cassino said the primary is “really wide open for any of the candidates, and that’s really unusual, to have a whole bunch of candidates who have a plausible path forward. It’s likely to…