Political nominations in New Jersey took place on June 6 to replace all seats in legislation, but more importantly, to succeed governor Chris Christie. Out of 11 contenders, Phil Murphy and Kim Guadagno have surpassed their competition and earned their places as governor elects.

Murphy received approximately 241,353 votes, or 48 percent of the democratic ballot. Guadagno won the GOP primary with roughly 113,404 votes, or 47 percent of the ballot.

New Jersey is one of 12 states that holds closed primaries. To vote, one must be registered under a political party prior to the election. This means that the independent party cannot participate. Since voters must be registered, democrats can only vote for the democratic elect, and the rule is also applied to republicans.

Murphy has numerous plans on his agenda to change New Jersey for the better. More specifically, the democratic governor elect looks to provide a better education for students and prepare them for their lives after high school.

For starters, Murphy is against PARCC testing. If elected, he plans to put an end to the standardized test and the requirement for students to pass a similar state exam to graduate. In the place of PARCC, the Department of Education will work to make a lower-stake assessment that is not as stressful and takes less time away from learning in the classroom.

Freshman Cedrick Caballar says, “Replacing PARCC will be beneficial to students. Technological issues waste too much time that could be spent studying for exams of actual importance.

High school graduates are another concern. Murphy insists he will make college affordable for every incoming freshman by increasing state aid to lower tuition, incentivizing student loan relief as an employee benefit to private sector employers, and expanding access to community colleges.

Freshman Neha Nirantar says, “The people in power need to be focusing on the youth to make sure they get the education to lead America in the future.”

Guadagno is currently the Lieutenant Governor under Republican Chris Christie, but shares many views on education with Murphy. However, she focuses more on the adults and seniors of New Jersey. She looks to cut property taxes, fix the pension problem in New Jersey, and promote the military and veterans of the state.

Both candidates have provided numerous reasons to vote for them. Guadagno has experience as governor, filling in for Christie when he was out of the state. She also has a goal that many NJ citizens can benefit from – the property tax cut. However, Guadagno is going to have trouble when November rolls around.

Murphy contributed 16 million dollars to his advertisement campaign, scoring him a 30 second spot on TV. The amount of exposure he obtained from his investment was extremely beneficial to communicating his mission to give every child an education.

The election will be held on November 7, giving the two candidates plenty of time to win over the people of New Jersey.

Which candidate appeals to you the most and which of their goals for New Jersey the most beneficial? Why?