The 2025 New Jersey Governor’s Race, A Homeowner’s Guide
Which party’s candidate is better for New Jersey homeowners?
Politics in 2025 is tense and polarized in New Jersey and across the country, with both parties staking out harder lines on social and economic issues. This guide will stay focused on your wallet. We will try to be as unbiased as possible, outline what the candidates say in their campaigns, and translate those promises into plain language for New Jersey homeowners. Treat every pledge as a proposal, not a guarantee, since anything that touches your bills must still pass through budgets, regulators, the Legislature, and the courts. Lets see how Democratic candidate Mikie Sherrill compares to Republican candidate Jack Ciattarelli.
Quick context for homeowners
The average local property tax bill crossed five figures in 2024, reaching $10,095 statewide according to state data, which is the first time New Jersey has topped ten thousand dollars. NJ Spotlight News
Prices set in the PJM Interconnection (PJM) capacity auction hit the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) price cap in July 2025, and the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) called for continued market reforms. These wholesale costs can flow through to retail bills over time. NJ.gov+1
Since March 20, 2024, sellers and many landlords must disclose known flood risk under New Jersey’s Flood Risk Notification Law, which can influence price, inspections, and insurance shopping. NJ Department of Environmental Protection
The federal cap on state and local tax deductions, often called the SALT cap, has hit more New Jersey homeowners than in 2017, while the average tax bill rose to $10,095. NJ Spotlight News
What 30 years of policy have meant, with receipts
From 2001 to 2014 the average property tax bill rose from $4,661 to $8,161, an increase of roughly 75 percent, based on New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) data. Bloomberg.com
After the Legislature adopted a 2 percent local levy cap in 2011, annual increases in the average bill were generally no higher than about 2.4 percent statewide. NJ Spotlight News
By 2024 the average bill still climbed past $10,000. During the same period, the state expanded direct relief programs, including Affordable New Jersey Communities for Homeowners and Renters (ANCHOR) and Stay New Jersey (Stay NJ), which is scheduled to reimburse eligible seniors for up to 50 percent of their property taxes beginning in 2026, subject to caps and eligibility. NJ Spotlight News+2NJ.gov+2
Interpretation, not cheerleading: recent Republican policy has emphasized levy caps and structural limits, while recent Democratic policy has emphasized larger state funded relief that offsets bills after they arrive. Your out of pocket depends on both sides of that ledger.
Mikie Sherrill 🫏, what she says she will do
Property taxes and targeted relief 💸
Expand the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and create a caregiver credit, keep Affordable New Jersey Communities for Homeowners and Renters (ANCHOR) flowing, and protect the Affordable Housing Trust Fund (AHTF).
Push shared services across towns and schools, and audit the State Health Benefits Program (SHBP) to reduce municipal health costs that feed into property taxes. Designed to Run
Energy and utility bills ⚡
On day one, declare a state of emergency on energy costs and seek a one year residential rate freeze, while accelerating in state generation such as solar and storage, maintaining nuclear, modernizing gas plants, and pressing the PJM Interconnection (PJM) to speed interconnections. Direct the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) to move faster and increase transparency. Reporting notes this kind of freeze is complicated because PJM capacity costs are not set by the state. Mikie Sherrill for New Jersey Governor+1
Housing supply and permitting 🧱
Convert underused offices and retail to housing, support Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), and shorten state permitting timelines to cut carrying costs for builders and homeowners. Mikie Sherrill for New Jersey Governor+1
Commuting and congestion pricing 🚗
Oppose New York’s congestion pricing costs on New Jersey drivers, and push for longer term regional solutions for transit. Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill+1
Jack Ciattarelli 🐘, what he says he will do
Property taxes and structural changes 💸
Cap property taxes as a share of assessed value, expand Senior Freeze, reduce the Corporation Business Tax (CBT) by one percentage point per year for five years, simplify and lower income tax brackets, and prohibit new taxes on home improvements, with the argument that lighter state taxes will reduce downstream pressure on local levies. Jack For New Jersey
Energy and utility bills ⚡
Rewrite the state Energy Master Plan (EMP), overhaul the Board of Public Utilities (BPU), withdraw from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), oppose offshore wind projects off the Shore, and lean on natural gas and nuclear for reliability and cost control. Jack For New Jersey
Housing policy and local control 🧱
Resist one size fits all suburban mandates, steer more growth to transit hubs and cities, consider Regional Contribution Agreements (RCAs) or similar regional tools, and allow impact fees on big warehouses so locals are not left with infrastructure costs. Jack For New Jersey
Commuting and agencies 🚇
Fight New York’s congestion pricing and explore consolidating transportation entities into a Garden State Transportation Authority (GSTA) to reduce duplication and centralize decisions. CBS News
How the big homeowner issues stack up
1) Property taxes
Sherrill’s approach: targeted credits and cost controls, for example Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) expansion, a caregiver credit, shared services, and State Health Benefits Program (SHBP) audits, plus keeping Affordable New Jersey Communities for Homeowners and Renters (ANCHOR) funded. These depend on execution and steady budgets to translate into smaller local levies over time. Designed to Run
Ciattarelli’s approach: structural caps plus broader state tax cuts, which could create predictability, although caps and cuts typically require offsets in state aid or services to keep local budgets whole. Jack For New Jersey
2) Electric and gas bills
Market backdrop: the PJM Interconnection (PJM) capacity auction cleared at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) cap for 2025–2026, and the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) urged continued reform. Utilities say the 2026 impact may be smaller than last year’s spike, but capacity and transmission remain headwinds. NJ.gov+1
Sherrill’s pitch: attempt a one year rate freeze while building more in state supply and pushing PJM and the BPU to unclog interconnections and approvals. Analysts note any freeze would need careful design since some wholesale costs cannot be frozen by the state. New Jersey Monitor
Ciattarelli’s pitch: reset policy by rewriting the Energy Master Plan (EMP), exiting the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), overhauling the BPU, and favoring gas and nuclear while opposing new offshore wind. Savings depend on wholesale markets, siting timelines, and what actually gets built. Jack For New Jersey
3) Housing supply
Sherrill: add units by converting underused commercial sites, supporting Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), and speeding permits. Mikie Sherrill for New Jersey Governor
Ciattarelli: curb blanket suburban mandates, push growth toward transit hubs and cities, consider Regional Contribution Agreements (RCAs), and allow warehouse impact fees. Jack For New Jersey
4) Insurance and flooding
Flood risk disclosures have been in effect since March 20, 2024. Expect continued emphasis on mitigation and transparency through agencies that oversee insurers, rather than a state backed homeowners insurance plan. NJ Department of Environmental Protection
Bottom line for homeowners
If your top pain point is the property tax bill, you are choosing between credits and municipal cost discipline, Sherrill, and caps plus broad tax cuts, Ciattarelli. If your top pain point is the electric bill, you are choosing between a one year rate freeze plus an in state buildout coordinated with the PJM Interconnection (PJM) and the Board of Public Utilities (BPU), Sherrill, and a wholesale policy reset that includes exiting the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) and rewriting the Energy Master Plan (EMP), Ciattarelli. If your top pain point is housing scarcity, you are choosing between Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) and conversions across many towns, Sherrill, and tighter suburban mandates with growth channeled to transit hubs, Ciattarelli. Whatever you choose, remember that wholesale power markets, inflation, and statutes matter as much as campaign rhetoric, so read the fine print and vote the spreadsheet that lives in your escrow account. And don’t forget to get out and vote on November 4th!
