Nearly a dozen candidates will compete in New Jersey on Tuesday for the chance to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy . Voters will also pick nominees for the state General Assembly.
New Jersey is one of only two states, along with Virginia, with a gubernatorial race on the ballot this year. Historically, presidential politics has cast a long shadow over the two contests, with the president's party frequently losing one or both seats. Although Democrats have long dominated New Jersey's federal offices as well as the state Legislature, the governor's office has changed hands regularly between the two major political parties for most of the last century. The last time a party held the governorship for more than two consecutive terms was in 1961.
The race for the Democratic nomination for governor features a crowded field of prominent current and former officeholders: U.S. Reps. Josh Gottheimer and Mikie Sherrill , Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop , Newark Mayor Ras Baraka , New Jersey Education Association president and former Montclair Mayor Sean Spiller and former state Senate President Steve Sweeney .
Gottheimer has had a slight edge in fundraising, with about 9.1 million in contributions, followed by Sherrill and Fulop, each with about 8.9 million raised for their campaigns.
Immigration has been a major issue in the campaign . In May, the state's top federal prosecutor dropped a trespassing case against Baraka, who was arrested earlier in the month at a protest outside a new federal immigration detention center .