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By Nick Mordowanec
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Former two-term New Jersey Republican Governor Christine Todd Whitman has endorsed Democratic Representative Mikie Sherrill in the state's upcoming gubernatorial election, calling her Republican opponent Jack Ciattarelli too "extreme" for the position.
"Jack Ciattarelli has changed from the person I knew decades ago," Whitman told Newsweek via email on Tuesday. "He won't name one issue on which he disagrees with [President Donald] Trump, which is not what New Jersey needs.
"In contrast, given Mikie's experience in the Navy and leadership getting results in Congress, it was a no-brainer for me to endorse her. Mikie will be ready on day one as an independent voice, and not beholden to anybody but the people she serves. That's who I want leading our state."
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Newsweek reached out to the Sherrill and Ciattarelli campaigns via email for comment.
Why It Matters
The New Jersey gubernatorial race could be a bellwether for how Democrats navigate Donald Trump's presidency and galvanize local voters ahead of pivotal elections that lead into the 2026 midterms. Trump lost to former Vice President Kamala Harris in New Jersey by about 6 percentage points in the 2024 election.
Numerous polls in recent months have all favored Sherrill, who has represented New Jersey's 11th congressional district since 2019, by margins ranging from 5 to 20 percentage points. Ciattarelli, the former New Jersey state representative who is running for governor for the third time, has waffled on embracing Trump, with pundits saying he has moved much closer toward the president since his first gubernatorial foray in 2017.
What To Know
Whitman, who served as President George W. Bush's administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), said she endorsed Sherrill due to her appeal toward moderates, while Ciattarelli is too aligned with Trump.
"Jack Ciattarelli has changed so much from the person that I knew before," Whitman told CBS News New York. "He would never be this all-in on Trump, and he has said there's nothing with which he would disagree with what the president has done.
"We're not a state of people who hate each other. We're built on diversity that I had as a motto when I was governor, 'Many faces, one family.' We should celebrate that and clearly the president does not."
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Whitman, co-founder and co-chair of the States United Democracy Center, also touted Sherrill's ability to get legislation passed by working with lawmakers across the aisle when necessary, adding that it's "what we need" in Washington and elsewhere.
"You gotta be tough in New Jersey, and she's tough," Whitman said. "She's not an extreme and that's what I like about her. She has never taken those extreme stands."
Trump and the Affordability Questions
Matthew Hale, associate professor of political science at Seton Hall University, told Newsweek that most likely, New Jersey voters are "at the beach" and not currently entranced by this gubernatorial race. But he expects enthusiasm to increase, culminating in "a really close race" in what he describes as a politically centrist state.
"Mikie Sherrill tends to poll very well," Hale said. "She's got a really sort of resume that people like. But I do think this is going to be a really close race coming down the stretch."
He said the two biggest factors that likely loom over the contest are Trump and issues relating to economics/affordability.
"I think this is a referendum on Donald Trump and he's not very popular in New Jersey," Hale said. "I think that's going to be a big factor. But the other factor is certainly things like affordability, particularly in terms of property taxes and housing. We've seen that nationally, but I think that's always a big issue in New Jersey, and it will certainly be one in this election.
"We're seeing rising energy costs and those quality of life issues, those affordability issues and those specifically New Jersey issues. I think those are going to be important. On one hand, nationalizing the race is good for Mikie Sherrill and localizing their race is good for Jack Ciattarelli. So, that's gonna be the tension."
A poll of 1,108 probable New Jersey voters conducted in July by StimSight Research shows Sherrill leading Ciattarelli by 6 percentage points, 48-42 percent, in terms of respondents who would "definitely" or "probably" vote for either candidate.
Another poll conducted by Kellyanne Conway for the pro-Ciattarelli Change NJ super PAC and published by the New Jersey Globe showed Sherrill ahead of Ciattarelli by 5 percentage points—47 percent to 42 percent, with 11 percent of voters undecided.
A separate Rutgers-Eagleton poll released in early July found Sherrill leading Ciattarelli by 20 points—51 percent to 31 percent, with 13 percent undecided.
What People Are Saying
Ashley Koning, an assistant research professor and director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling at Rutgers University-New Brunswick, previously told Newsweek: "'Affordability' is definitely the buzzword of this election within New Jersey and I'd like to think that New Jersey has a unique brand of politics that still has many issues at the state level that are unique to the Garden State. I think affordability is an umbrella term [for] many of these issues that New Jerseyans have perennially been concerned about, first and foremost, taxes and property taxes.
"We have the highest property taxes in the country, and New Jerseyans have been telling us in our 50-plus years of polling that that's typically their No. 1 problem. In our most recent poll, taxes were followed by cost of living and affordability."
Representative Mikie Sherrill on X on August 1: "@Jack4NJ just doesn't get it — he's 100% supporting Trump's tariffs as they raise prices for NJ families and destroy thousands of jobs in the Garden State. And then he has the nerve to say that New Jerseyans don't understand the implications?"
Former Representative Jack Ciattarelli on X on August 3: "No more sanctuary cities. No more politics tying your hands. I'll have your back—protecting your pensions, restoring COLA, fixing broken systems, and making sure you can do your job without fear or interference."
What Happens Next
The New Jersey gubernatorial election will be held on November 4. Both campaigns are expected to intensify voter outreach and messaging on key economic issues as Election Day approaches. A significant undecided voter bloc and the influence of national politics will continue to drive developments in the final months of the campaign.
Updated 8/5/25, 6:10 p.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from Whitman.
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