NJ Spotlight News caught up with two major pollsters in the state to talk about the 2025 governor’s race that is already starting to rev up, with former state Senate President Steve Sweeney on Monday joining the race. Already running is Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, making it two power players both likely to have deep funding.

Said Ashley Koning, Rutgers-Eagleton Poll director: “We’re really revisiting this geographic divide that we would have had with Steve North versus Steve South. We saw this so many years ago [in 2017] and the first time they were possibly going to run. This is probably going to be more divisive…(than) pork roll versus Taylor ham. And asking New Jerseyans, we also have to keep in mind that even though we know who these political players are, most New Jerseyans really don’t.”

Monmouth Poll director Patrick Murray added about the 2017 race: “Basically, for whatever reason, Steve Fulop pulled out [in 2017], Phil Murphy swooped in, got more than enough of the north Jersey and central Jersey backing from the party leaders that basically squeezed Steve Sweeney out. He saw the writing on the wall and didn’t run.”