Mikie Sherrill’s Victory in New Jersey Governor Election
Mikie Sherrill has emerged victorious as the next governor of New Jersey, defeating Republican Jack Ciattarelli. This win marks a significant setback for the Republican Party, which had considered this race their best chance for an upset during the election night.
The Associated Press called the race just before 9:30 p.m., with Sherrill leading Ciattarelli by more than 10 points, despite expectations of a close contest. Sherrill, a member of the House of Representatives, ran her campaign primarily against the economic policies of former President Donald Trump.
Sherrill and her D.C. roommate, Democratic Representative Abigail Spanberger—who won the Virginia governor’s race earlier that night—both secured victories. These wins provided a much-needed morale boost for the Democratic Party following last year’s political challenges.
Sherrill was elected to Congress in 2018 with the aim of countering President Trump’s policies during his first term. Voters in New Jersey sent a similar message to the White House on Tuesday night. Exit polls indicated that Sherrill won the support of a majority of independent voters, who are expected to play a crucial role in next year’s midterm elections.
Despite not physically campaigning alongside Ciattarelli, Trump showed increased interest in the race in its final hours. He urged “ALL PATRIOTIC CITIZENS OF THE GREAT STATE OF NEW JERSEY” to vote for Ciattarelli, emphasizing the importance of voting before the 8 p.m. deadline. Trump also claimed that 32,000 Orthodox Jews from New Jersey supported the Republican candidate, encouraging students at Jewish schools to follow suit.
At the White House Monday night, Trump hosted a tele-rally where he expressed his belief that Ciattarelli had a better chance of winning compared to Virginia’s GOP gubernatorial candidate, Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears. Although Trump did not mention Earle-Sears by name, her loss in Virginia was called early.
“You need to go out and vote for Jack Ciattarelli, who’s a great guy, a friend of mine, a great guy, a very successful man, who wants to put all of his efforts now into really saving New Jersey, making it great again, saving it,” Trump said. “And he’s going to do it. He’ll be able to do it. The polls are looking really good.”
However, the final polls showed a narrowing gap in the race, but no poll ever had Ciattarelli ahead. Ciattarelli received Trump’s endorsement in May, but had to navigate carefully as he ran in a state leaning Democratic.
Trump’s absence from the campaign trail suggested he did not believe Ciattarelli could secure the win, as New Jersey voters typically choose a governor from the opposite party of the president. The only recent exception was when Ciattarelli ran against incumbent Democratic Governor Phil Murphy four years ago, where he lost despite President Joe Biden being in the White House.
In 2024, Trump made notable gains in New Jersey, losing the state by six points to Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris. This marked a 10-point improvement since his 2020 loss to Biden. Latino voters in New Jersey shifted towards Trump, and Ciattarelli aimed to capitalize on these gains during this off-year race, as he came within three points of defeating Murphy in 2021.
Ciattarelli positioned himself as the true New Jersey native, contrasting with Sherrill, who moved to the state after serving as a Navy helicopter pilot. Sherrill focused her campaign on lowering prices, an issue that contributed to Trump’s re-election last year. She also gained momentum during the final weekend of the race by campaigning alongside former Democratic President Barack Obama, who remains a popular figure in politics.
