On December 11, 2012, Buono announced her candidacy for Governor of New Jersey in the Democratic primary, with the winner to face Republican incumbent Chris Christie in the 2013 election. Buono gained considerable party support by late January. In the primary election on June 4, 2013, she was chosen over one opponent to be the Democratic nominee for Governor of New Jersey in the 2013 general election. Despite New Jersey being a historically Democratic state in presidential contests, her campaign struggled to gain traction against Christie.