The leader of New Jersey’s largest and most powerful teachers union on Friday jumped into the already crowded and increasingly tense race for governor.
Sean Spiller, president of the New Jersey Education Association and the mayor of Montclair, announced he is running for the Democratic nomination in the 2025 election to succeed term-limit Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy.
In a campaign launch video, Spiller, 46, notes his background as the son of immigrants and highlights how he has worked as a high school science teacher, arguing most people wouldn’t expect someone with that job to run for the state’s highest elected post.
“Working folks aren’t supposed to get into positions where the decisions are being made,” he said. “We have a chance to say we want better. … We’ve got to fight to make sure it’s the New Jersey we want to live in.”
But while his name may not be well known, Spiller has quietly been a rising star for a while in New Jersey’s political world — and his role with the NJEA gives him not only caché but union money and support that could be a weapon in the race.
Spiller — who is about to leave office as Montclair’s mayor after a single, tumultuous term — is the fourth candidate to join the Democratic side of the gubernatorial election, even though the primary is still nearly a year away.
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, and former state Senate President Stephen Sweeney — who long clashed with the NJEA — have also declared. Others, including U.S. Reps. Josh Gottheimer and Mikie Sherrill, are expected to follow.
There are also four declared candidates on the Republican side: state Sen. Jon Bramnick, real estate broker Robert Canfield, former state Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli, and former state Sen. Ed Durr. Others are expected to join that primary, too, including conservative radio host Bill Spadea, who will reportedly announce his candidacy Monday.
Whoever wins the parties’ nominations will square off for an open governor’s seat in a hotly contended election next fall. While New Jersey often chooses Democrats in federal elections and registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans here by about 1 million, the Garden State has frequently gone back and forth between parties when choosing a governor.
Like Baraka, Spiller is also vying to become New Jersey’s first Black governor.
A former hockey player at Rutgers University who went on to teach science at Wayne Valley High School, Spiller was elected to the Montclair council in 2012 and was then elected the township’s mayor in 2020.
The following year, he took over as president of the NJEA, the teachers union that is also a fundraising force in state politics and holds great influence over education policy. They have been one of Murphy’s biggest political backers.
“There were so many times we pushed back against something that was the difference between someone being able to support their family or not,” Spiller said of the union in his campaign video.
He also promised to “keep supporting our children” and invest in public education.
“How do you make sure you can afford to live where you want to work?” Spiller asked.
Garden State Forward, a super PAC funded by the NJEA, contributed more than than $2 million to Protecting Our Democracy, a non-profit that has aired television ads featuring Spiller over the last two years.
Meanwhile, the NJEA recently began its endorsement process in the governor’s race even though it’s early in the election and not every expected candidate has declared. The union sent out a questionnaire to Democratic contenders and asked them to meet with their screening committee Saturday, according to reports by Politico New Jersey.
Spiller is one of a few candidates who could also be helped by the possible death of the state’s controversial county-line primary ballot system remains. The only-in-New Jersey design, in which candidates endorsed by county parties receive preferential placement on ballots, was blocked in this year’s primary thanks to a federal judge’s ruling and could be throw out entirely before next year’s primary, possibly leading to a more even playing field in politics.
Ben Dworkin, director of the Institute for Public Policy and Citizenship at Rowan University, said if the county line is indeed gone, “everybody with skills, a message, and money has a shot.”
“And Sean Spiller will have that,” Dworkin said. “He’s a talented political insider. He will have support through his union leadership. We expect him to have support throughout the state as a start. But he’s got to build from that.”
“When the gates are open, everybody comes in. This is as good an opportunity for an ambitious politician like Sean Spiller to make their mark.”
Dworkin also said even if he doesn’t win, Spiller can have “a significant impact on this race in terms of what we are discussing.
Spiller’s entry to the race comes only months after he announced he would not seek a second term as mayor of his Essex County township. That came after he and five council members faced accusations they wrongfully accepted perks while in office, using their $10,000-a-year positions to sign up for taxpayer-funded health insurance or payments.
A lawsuit by a town official accused them of accepting those benefits when they weren’t entitled to them. Spiller repeatedly invoked his right against self-incrimination during a deposition in January. Spiller’s term as mayor will end next month, with a newly elected mayor taking over.
Stories by Brent Johnson
Thank you for relying on us to provide the local news you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription.
Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on X at @johnsb01.