The final stretch of Primary 2025 is upon us, Save Jerseyans, and you still have another major chance to see the candidates side-by-side before you make a final decision.
Last Friday, Save Jersey was selected alongside its debate partners by the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (NJ ELEC) to host the final New Jersey Republican Gubernatorial Debate of the 2025 primary cycle. The New Jersey Globe, On New Jersey, Rider University, and Save Jersey will sponsor and co-host the upcoming Tuesday, May 20th debate which will broadcast and streamed online live from the Essex County Donald M. Payne, Sr. School of Technology located in Newark, New Jersey.
The participanting Republican candidates will be State Senator Jon Bramnick of LD21, former Assemblyman and 2021 nominee Jack Ciattarelli, and ex-NJ 101.5 radio drive-time host Bill Spadea. The ELEC debates are a mandatory condition for all candidates who qualify for – and accept – matching funds pursuant to New Jersey’s public gubernatorial campaign financing program. Former Englewood Cliffs Mayor Mario Kranjac did not qualify for matching funds and therefore will not be able to join the debate stage.
The panelists will be Laura Jones of On New Jersey’s “New Jersey Politics with Laura Jones,” The New Jersey Globe‘s editor David Wildstein and Washington correspondent Joey Fox, Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics director Micah Rasmussen, and Save Jersey founder and editor Matt Rooney.
The 2 1/2 hour-ling debate’s format will be a moderated discussion zeroing in on three individual issue areas: (1) Taxes and Affordability, (2) Education, and (3) Crime.
Another GOP primary debate – sponsored by NJ PBS and Spotlight News – is anticipated to take place at some point later this spring but prior to the May 20th match-up.
Unsuccessful primary debate applicants include NJ 101.5, News 12, NJ.com, and Stockton University.
