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By Andrew Stanton and Gabe Whisnant
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Democratic U.S. Representative Mikie Sherrill defeated Republican challenger Jack Ciattarelli in New Jersey’s gubernatorial race. The Associated Press called the race just before 9:30 p.m.
“We here in New Jersey are bound to fight for a different future for our children,” Sherrill told her supporters gathered to celebrate her victory. “We see how clearly important liberty is. We know that no one in our great state is safe when our neighbors are targeted, ignoring the law and the Constitution.” She was joined on stage with her husband and children.
Why It Matters
The New Jersey governor's race was seen as a key bellwether for the 2026 midterm elections, when Democrats hope to win control of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate. Sherrill’s victory could boost Democrats’ optimism about those races next year as the party has continued grappling with the loss of former Vice President Kamala Harris in last year’s presidential election.
Read More on Politics
Mikie Sherrill Wins New Jersey Governor's Race: What To Know
Sherrill, 53, a former Navy helicopter pilot and four-term congresswoman, led Ciattarelli 56.7% to 42.8% when CNN first called the race just before 9 p.m. Tuesday. By 11 p.m., Sherrill's lead had stretched to 56.2% to 43.2% with 95% of votes reported.
Her victory means Democrats will hold onto the governorship, flipped by Governor Phil Murphy in 2018.
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Why It Matters
New Jersey’s gubernatorial race was seen as a key bellwether for the 2026 midterm elections, when Democrats hope to win control of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate. Ciattarelli’s victory is a red flag for Democrats about their chances. Historically, when the party in the White House performs poorly in the New Jersey and Virginia governor's races, they go on to suffer losses in the midterms. When they perform well, they tend to do better in the midterms.
Polls pointed to a close race in the final days of the campaign. RealClearPolitics’ aggregate showed Sherrill leading by about 3 points over Ciattarelli, while a Race to the WH aggregate showed her ahead by around 4 points.
Many polls were within the margin of error, like an Emerson College/PIX 11/The Hill poll that gave the Democrat a single-point lead (49 percent to 48 percent). It surveyed 1,000 likely voters from October 25-28 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
Forecasters had also considered Sherrill the front-runner—Cook Political Report and Sabato’s Crystal Ball classified the race as Leans Democratic.
Affordability remained a key issue in the race, as both candidates sought to convince voters they were the stronger candidate to take on issues including taxes and soaring energy bills in the Garden State.
Sherrill also sought to tie Ciattarelli to President Donald Trump, whose approval rating has fallen nationwide since his return to office. Trump endorsed Ciattarelli’s campaign.
New Jersey backed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and ex-President Joe Biden by double-digits over Trump and was once viewed as a solidly Democratic state. Trump, however, made inroads with New Jersey voters in November 2024, making for a surprisingly close race. He lost the state to Harris by about 6 percentage points, sparking questions about whether New Jersey could soon become a swing state.
Murphy was ineligible to run again for governor due to term limits.
Some Democrats had expressed concerns about the race. Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, who lost to Sherrill in the primary, warned last week on X that New Jersey “may actually have an upset.”
How Many New Jersey Residents Voted Early?
More than 1.1 million New Jerseyans voted early, reported The New York Times. Sherrill built up an advantage among those early voters—51 percent were Democrats, while only 29 percent were Republicans. Twenty percent were unaffiliated.
What People Are Saying
Ciattarelli called Sherrill to congratulate her on the results and did not mention Trump in his address: “It is my hope that Mikie Sherrill has heard us in terms of what we need to do to make New Jersey that place where everybody can once again feel that they can achieve their American dream."
DNC Chair Ken Martin said in a statement, "She ran a campaign centered on New Jersey values, American values, and the values of the Democratic Party. And tonight, Donald Trump and Jack Ciattarelli learned the hard way that there are consequences for betraying working families."
Dan Cassino, professor of political science at Fairleigh Dickinson University, previously told Newsweek: “All of the traditional polling has shown Sherrill with a lead of between about 4 and 7 points, and the early voting and vote by mail numbers have been consistent with that. Right now, it looks like Democrats will have a buffer of around 280,000 votes going into Election Day, a little bigger than in past years, and while it’s plausible that Ciattarelli could win Election Day votes, it would be unprecedented for him to win by 300,000 votes. I’m always open to being surprised by what happens on Election Day, but we’re just not seeing anything in the data that suggests a huge surge for Ciattarelli.”
Sherrill, Sunday on X: “Unlike @Jack4NJ, I'm working to make New Jersey a better state for every New Jerseyan, not just Donald Trump's inner circle.”
What Happens Next
Sherrill will take office in January.
Updates: 11/4/25, 10:02 p.m. ET: This article was updated with new information and remarks.
Updates: 11/4/25, 10:54 p.m. ET: This article was updated with new information and remarks.
Updates: 11/4/25, 11:35 p.m. ET: This article was updated with new information and remarks.
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