BREAKING: Like Abigail Spanberger, Democrat Mikie Sherrill Wins New Jersey governor’s Race
Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.) is projected to defeat former Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli (R) in the New Jersey governor’s race, securing a major win for Democrats in their first election cycle since the start of President Trump’s second term, according to Decision Desk HQ.
Sherrill, a fourth-term congresswoman representing a district in northern New Jersey, fended off a competitive challenge from Ciattarelli, who ran for governor for a third time after narrowly losing to New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) in 2021. Murphy is term-limited and couldn’t run again.
The race turned increasingly competitive in recent weeks, with some polling showing the election a toss-up, as both candidates grappled with crisscrossing political headwinds.
For Democrats, the state hadn’t elected a governor of the same party three times in a row since 1961, and its party was grappling with frustrations from voters over an affordability crisis at a time when Democrats controlled both the governor’s mansion and state legislature.
Republicans, meanwhile, were forced to contend with President Trump’s unpopularity in the state, even as the party has made gains in recent elections there. Murphy narrowly won four years ago, and Vice President Harris only defeated President Trump in New Jersey by 6 points last year. Still, the current president has a disapproval rating of 51 percent, according to a recent survey from Emerson College Polling/PIX11/The Hill. His low favorability forced Ciattarelli to walk a tightrope as the gubernatorial candidate sought to embrace the president while also seeking distance from him.
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