Candidates across the board for New Jersey governor are struggling with name recognition, leaving an open — and crowded — playing field nearly five months before the primary election, new poll numbers suggest.

In the race to be New Jersey's next governor, no clear Democratic frontrunner has materialized in early polling. On the Republican side, name recognition helped give an early bump to former Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli.

With more than 10 contenders running to become New Jersey’s next governor, a new poll shows former lawmaker Jack Ciattarelli as the early front-runner on the Republican side and U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill carrying a slim lead in a very close Democratic battle less than six months to the big primary election.

A 2023 overhaul of campaign finance law opens the floodgates for outside groups, with limited public disclosure.