By Donald Gilpin
With less than a month to go before the June 10 New Jersey Primary, there’s a field of 11 candidates — six Democrats and five Republicans — in the closely-watched contest to win each party’s nomination for governor, and New Jersey voters are mostly unaware of who the candidates are and when the election will be taking place, according to the Rutgers-Eagleton Poll.
For Princeton voters, the only other competitive primary contest besides the race for governor will be the competition among three Democrats, incumbents Roy Freiman and Michelle Drulis and challenger Mahmoud Desouky, for two seats in the general assembly. Two Princeton Council seats are on the ballot with incumbent Democrats Mia Sacks and Michelle Pirone Lambert running unopposed for reelection and no Republicans in the race.
On the Republican side are Catherine Payne and Scott Sipos seeking the nomination for two seats in the general assembly, Shaolin Brown running for county clerk, and Daniel J. Hanley, Jr. and Alexander DiFalco for Mercer County Board of Commissioners, all running unopposed to represent the GOP in November.
Incumbent Paula Sollami Covello is unopposed in running for the Democratic nomination for another term as county clerk, and incumbents Nina Melker and Cathleen L. Lewis are looking to be nominated to two spots on the November ballot for Board of County Commissioners.
Sollami Covello urged all eligible voters to go to the polls, either early, from June 3 to 8, on June 10 Election Day, or to vote by mail-in ballot.
“We are one of only two states that have gubernatorial elections this year,” she said. “All eyes are going to be on New Jersey and Virginia this year to see how people are reacting to the president and how people view the direction of the country. New Jersey is a leader. People will be looking to see how New Jersey voters vote. It’s important to decide who is the strongest candidate to run and win in November.”
She continued, “It’s important to have the right candidates in office. The position of governor in New Jersey is very powerful because the governor appoints judges and the treasurer. The governor sets the tone for the state.”
On the Democratic ballot for governor are two mayors of large cities, Ras Baraka of Newark and Steven Fulop of Jersey City; two north Jersey members of the U.S. House of Representatives, Josh Gottheimer and Mikie Sherrill; a former state senate president, Steve Sweeney; and the president of the state teachers’ union, Sean Spiller.
Rutgers-Eagleton states that there is no clear leader among the six Democratic candidates, who are all “within striking distance of one another.”
Republican 2021 nominee for governor Jack Ciatarelli, even before receiving an endorsement from President Trump on May 12, appeared to be the clear frontrunner for the 2025 GOP gubernatorial nomination, according to the latest Rutgers-Eagleton Poll. Former radio host and Princeton resident Bill Spadea was polling in distant second place, followed by State Senator Jon Bramnick, then contractor Justin Barbera and former Englewood Cliffs Mayor Mario Kranjac.
“Though not necessarily unusual at this stage in the game, candidates on both sides of the aisle still lack name recognition from a notable number voters, and no candidate on either side of the aisle is viewed favorably by more than one in five voters,” said Ashley Koning, director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling at Rutgers, as quoted in an April 25 Rutgers-Eagleton Poll newsletter.
In addition to the June 10 primary election day, Sollami Covello highlighted the following upcoming dates: voter registration deadline on Tuesday, May 20; application deadline by mail for vote-by-mail ballot on Tuesday, June 3; application deadline for vote-by-mail ballot in person on Monday, June 9 at 3 p.m.; early voting from Tuesday, June 3 to Sunday, June 8.
Early voting will be available on the specified dates in the Community Room of the Princeton Municipal Building and in six other locations throughout Mercer County. Voters can walk into their polling stations, request a Republican or Democratic ballot, and then cast their votes. They will be registered under the party affiliation they have requested.
“It’s important to use your voice and express your opinions,” said Sollami Covello. Visit mercercounty.org/elections for further information.