The two leading candidates for New Jersey governor— Jack Ciattarelli and Mikie Sherrill—addressed more than 300 New Jersey Realtors® and builders at a candidate forum. The event provided members the opportunity to hear directly from the candidates on their plans to address New Jersey’s pressing affordability and housing challenges.

Both candidates addressed the audience and then took part in a question-and-answer session.

Republican nominee Jack Ciattarelli emphasized his commitment to reducing the tax and regulatory burden on New Jersey families and businesses.

“From day one this campaign has been talking about how New Jersey needs to be more affordable. The American dream of homeownership is becoming increasingly more difficult in our overtaxed state, and I look forward to my administration rolling back the dangerous tax policy you’ve seen for the last eight years and removing burdensome regulations that prevent us from addressing the affordability crisis facing our disappearing middle class,” said Ciattarelli.

Democratic nominee Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill underscored the critical role of housing affordability the state’s economy and expanding access to homeownership.

“We can’t make New Jersey more affordable without making housing more affordable. But right now, housing costs are up over 50% in just the past five years—making homeownership inaccessible for so many families. That will change when I’m governor. I’ll expand first-time homebuyer assistance to increase access to homeownership and generational wealth, end diversions from the Affordable Housing Trust Fund so these funds actually go toward expanding housing options families can afford, and work collaboratively with municipalities to redevelop underutilized properties like office parks and strip malls. I’m committed to working with New Jersey Realtors® and New Jersey Builders to make housing more affordable and accessible for all families, and to creating goodpaying jobs in this sector,” said Sherrill.

As a nonpartisan event, the forum was designed to provide members with direct access to the candidates and their positions on housing, development, and economic policy. Neither organization endorses candidates in the gubernatorial election.

“We were proud to provide an opportunity for our members to be face-to-face with the candidates and hear from them directly on the issues that matter most to our industry and to the future of our state,” said New Jersey Realtors® CEO Doug Tomson.

“We greatly appreciate the candidates took the time to address our respective memberships. While housing supply and affordability are always top of mind for our members, it’s become a crucial issue for New Jerseyans in this election and the candidates each acknowledged the issue and offered specific plans to address the lack of housing supply in our State,” said New Jersey Builders Association CEO Jeff Kolakowski.

Meet The Candidates

Jack Ciattarelli, the Republican nominee, was born in Somerville and raised in the Borough of Raritan. He earned a degree in accounting from Seton Hall, where he also got his MBA. Jack is a successful entrepreneur and small business owner twice over, having founded two successful Main Street businesses right here in New Jersey.

In the public arena, he has served at every level of government, including the Raritan Borough Council, the Somerset County Freeholder Board, and the State Assembly— each time winning tough races, and then voluntarily term-limiting himself. In 2021, Jack ran for governor and re-energized the state’s Republican Party, defying media predictions and coming within a few points of knocking off the sitting incumbent governor.

Mikie Sherrill , the Democratic nominee, is a U.S. Naval Academy graduate, Navy helicopter pilot, former federal prosecutor, wife, and mother of four proudly serving New Jersey in Congress, and is running for governor to make life easier and more affordable for Garden State families.

Following her service in the Navy, Mikie attended and graduated from law school. She worked in private practice and then joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey as an Outreach and Reentry Coordinator and then as an Assistant U.S. Attorney. In her first-ever run for office, she led a grassroots movement and was elected to the U.S. House in 2018 to represent New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District. Her campaign—where she drove an entrenched Republican incumbent out of the race—marked the biggest swing from red to blue in the country that year.