Democratic nominee Mikie Sherrill won Tuesday’s New Jersey gubernatorial race, becoming the state’s 57th governor by defeating Republican Jack Ciattarelli. Her victory, called by the Associated Press just two hours after polls closed, was seen as a sign of Democratic resilience in the early days of Donald Trump’s return to national politics.
“I hear you, Jersey,” Sherrill said at her East Brunswick election party, greeted by cheers and Bruce Springsteen’s Born to Run. “Good government doesn’t just manage problems, it solves them.”
The contest, one of only two gubernatorial races this year, drew national attention as a potential preview of the 2026 midterms and an early measure of Trump’s influence with voters.
Mikie Sherrill Elected New Jersey Governor
Sherrill, 53, a moderate former prosecutor and Navy helicopter pilot, was first elected to Congress in 2018 to represent New Jersey’s 11th district. Her primary victory over more progressive candidates, including Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and former state Senate President Steve Sweeney, underscored her appeal as a centrist capable of unifying the party.
Ciattarelli, running for governor for the second time, won Trump’s endorsement and campaigned on affordability while incorporating culture war themes such as immigration and gender identity. His past opposition to same-sex marriage in 2012, though he reaffirmed support for marriage equality during the campaign, became a point of contention, particularly among LGBTQ voters.
Mikie Sherrill Elected New Jersey Governor
Affordability emerged as the dominant issue statewide, with polls showing a tight race throughout the campaign. The contest also featured notable controversies, including the leaking of Sherrill’s military records by a Ciattarelli ally and a threatened defamation suit over Sherrill’s comments linking Ciattarelli to the opioid crisis. (source)
“A lot of people made fun of the helicopter,” said New Jersey Democratic Party Chair Leroy Jones, referring to Sherrill’s campaign logo. “But guess what? It landed here today!”
Sherrill’s win contrasts with progressive upsets elsewhere, like Zohran Mamdani’s New York City mayoral primary victory, highlighting two potential paths for the Democratic Party under Trump’s renewed prominence.
