(Bloomberg) -- US Representative Josh Gottheimer announced his run for governor of New Jersey, joining a packed field of candidates jockeying to succeed term-limited Governor Phil Murphy next year.
The 49-year-old Democrat and onetime executive at Microsoft Corp., who just won reelection, has fashioned himself as a moderate in his swing North Jersey district. Gottheimer has worked on various bipartisan bills in Congress and criticized some progressive members of his party for comments he saw as anti-Israel and antisemitic.
“Life in New Jersey has become too damn expensive,” Gottheimer said while announcing his candidacy Friday at a diner in South Hackensack. “As governor I will lower taxes and lower costs and help you and your family get ahead. I’ll do it while protecting the values we believe in as Democrats.”
New Jersey’s gubernatorial election in November 2025 will be among the first major votes to take place after former President Donald Trump won reelection this month and made deep inroads with voters in the historically blue state, losing by a far closer margin than four years ago.
Prominent Democrats and Republicans have thrown their hats into the race as both sides see an opportunity. While Murphy’s popularity levels have remained relatively strong, the two-term Democrat won reelection in 2021 by a smaller-than-expected margin.
Gottheimer joins four other Democrats vying to become the Garden State chief executive: Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, former state Senate President Steve Sweeney, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, and former Montclair Mayor Sean Spiller. A sixth, US Representative Mikie Sherrill, is expected to announce her campaign on Monday, according to the New Jersey Globe.
At least four Republicans are planning to run, according to northjersey.com, including Jack Ciattarelli, who came within 3 points of beating Murphy in 2021. The others are state Senator Jon Bramnick and former state Senator Edward Durr, as well as radio host Bill Spadea.
Gottheimer has been vocal about delays on New Jersey Transit commuter trains and has called for riders to be reimbursed if they experience long waits due to Amtrak service disruptions after commuters were left stranded on trains and platforms for hours this summer.
Representing a New York City commuter district, he’s also been part of the push for funding the $16 billion Gateway rail tunnel project connecting New York and New Jersey and has been a vocal opponent to New York’s congestion pricing plan.
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