New Jersey’s 2025 gubernatorial race is heating up. The two highest polling candidates so far are Steven Fulop and Mikie Sherrill. Below, we compare their records in a round by round analysis.

Round 1: Tackling Costs – Who Helps Your Wallet?
Fulop’s Housing Struggles

• Rent Hikes: Jersey City rents jumped 75% since 2015, driven by luxury towers.

• Solutions: Built 3,000+ affordable units and cracked down on rent gouging.

• Flaws: Critics say his tax breaks for developers fuel gentrification.

Sherrill’s Tax Wins

• SALT Fix: Led a bipartisan fight to save NJ homeowners $5B/year by raising state/local tax deductions.

• Child Poverty: Helped extend child tax credits, slashing child poverty 40% in her district.

• Energy Bills: Voted to cap insulin at $35/month and expand solar rebates.

Edge: SHERRILL – Direct financial relief for families outweighs Fulop’s mixed housing results.

Round 2: Crime – Who Actually Makes Streets Safer?
Fulop’s Results

• Homicides Down 75%: From 24 (2013) to 6 (2024) in Jersey City.

• Tech Tools: Invested $15M in crime cameras and de-escalation training for cops.

• Diverse Hiring: 75% of new officers are minorities.

Sherrill’s Approach

• Federal Grants: Won $300M for NJ police training and gun violence prevention.

• Prosecutor Past: Took down corporate polluters and fraudsters as a federal attorney.

• Controversy: Opposed cutting police budgets but funded body cams.

Edge: FULOP – Proven track record reducing violence in NJ’s toughest urban environment.

Round 3: Schools & Fairness – Who Lifts Up Communities?
Fulop’s Local Wins

• Free Pre-K: Added 2,000 seats in Jersey City.

• Immigrant Aid: Gave undocumented residents city IDs and sanctuary protections.

• Flaws: Critics call his school funding unequal, favoring downtown over poorer wards.

Sherrill’s Broader Impact

• Child Tax Credit: Expanded aid to 50,000+ NJ families.

• Clean Energy Equity: Voted to steer 40% of climate funds to low-income areas.

• Student Debt: Blocked full forgiveness but capped interest for 200,000+ NJ borrowers.

Edge: SHERRILL – Policies reach more NJ families statewide.

Round 4: Emergency Management – Leading Through Crises
Fulop’s Hands-On Experience

• COVID-19 Response: Deployed mobile vaccine clinics, achieving 78% adult vaccination in Jersey City by 2022.

• Hurricane Ida: Launched a $50M flood mitigation plan, prioritizing drainage upgrades in flood-prone neighborhoods.

• Real-Time Leadership: Personally directed emergency operations during storms and pandemics.

Sherrill’s Federal Coordination

• Pandemic Relief: Secured $6B in federal aid for NJ hospitals, schools, and small businesses.

• Disaster Prep: Co-sponsored legislation to upgrade NJ’s power grid and levees.

• Gap: Lacks on-the-ground emergency management experience compared to Fulop.

Edge: FULOP – Direct crisis leadership outweighs Sherrill’s federal support role.

Round 5: Trust – Who Avoids Backroom Deals?
Fulop’s Developer Ties

• Tax Abatements: Approved $1.2B in tax breaks for luxury developers since 2015.

• Pay-to-Play Optics: At least 12 developers who received tax breaks donated $480K to Fulop’s campaigns.

• Transparency: Launched a public project tracker in 2023 after watchdog pressure.

Sherrill’s Corporate Money

• PAC Donations: Accepted $1.2M from corporate PACs, including Pharma and defense contractors.

• Hypocrisy Charge: Co-sponsored a bill to ban corporate PACs while still taking their funds.

• Energy Votes: Opposed closing fossil fuel subsidies after taking $89K from oil/gas PACs.

Edge: SHERRILL – Fulop’s developer ties are systemic and ongoing, whereas Sherrill’s PAC money is more typical of congressional politics.

Round 6: Big Ideas – What’s Their Plan for NJ?
Fulop’s Urban Vision

• Transit: Wants PATH trains to Newark Airport and faster ferries.

• Wind Power: Backs offshore turbines but fought unions over local jobs.

Sherrill’s Statewide Playbook

• Trains and Buses: Landed $500M to fix NJ Transit and cut fares.

• Climate Goal: Pushing to hit 100% clean energy by 2035 (15 years faster than current law).

Edge: SHERRILL – Clearer plans for transportation and climate, critical for NJ’s future.

Final Score

1. Costs: Sherrill

2. Crime: Fulop

3. Schools/Fairness: Sherrill

4. Emergency Management: Fulop

5. Trust: Sherrill

6. Vision: Sherrill

Who Wins?
Sherrill’s policy reach and vision still give her an edge, but Fulop’s emergency management experience and crime reduction narrow the gap. Voters valuing crisis leadership and urban safety might lean Fulop, while those prioritizing statewide reforms could favor Sherrill.

Sources:

• Rent data: StreetEasy (streeteasy.com), Jersey City Government (jerseycitynj.gov)

• Crime stats: Jersey City Police Department (jerseycitypd.org)

• Federal grants: Congress.gov (congress.gov)

• Pandemic response: NJ Department of Health (nj.gov/health)

• Developer donations: NJ ELEC (elec.nj.gov)

• PAC money: OpenSecrets (opensecrets.org)