Democrat Mikie Sherrill Declared Winner in Closely Watched New Jersey Governor’s Race

New Jersey voters elected Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.) as their next governor Tuesday, rejecting Trump-endorsed Republican Jack Ciattarelli, AP projects.

Sherrill, a four-term U.S. representative and former Navy helicopter pilot, will succeed term-limited Gov. Phil Murphy (D), marking the first time since the 1960s that either party will hold the governorship of New Jersey for more than three consecutive terms.

Ciattarelli’s loss is a significant blow to President Donald Trump, who made gains in the state in the 2024 presidential election, and his authoritarian push to undermine constitutional rights and norms.

When AP called the race at 9:24 p.m. ET, Sherrill was leading Ciattarelli by roughly 14 points, with 62 percent of votes counted.

In electing Sherrill, New Jersey voters rejected the idea of increased cooperation between the state and the Trump administration, which Ciattarelli proposed throughout his campaign. 

In addition to vowing to end New Jersey’s sanctuary laws on “day one,” Ciattarelli said he would allow New Jersey cops to assist federal immigration officers carrying out Trump’s mass deportation efforts. He also promised to appoint an attorney general who would not challenge Trump’s extreme agenda in federal court. 

Sherrill’s platform was firmly anti-Trump while also focused on initiatives to drive down rising costs in the state, protect reproductive rights, and make state government more accountable. 

Sherill’s win also was good news for the future of free and open elections in the Garden State, whose leadership has long been shaped by partisan gatekeepers. 

New Jersey’s 2025 gubernatorial race was the state’s first since it did away with its controversial “county line” ballot design last year. A holdover of 19th and 20th century machine politics in the state, the design gave party leaders significant sway over primaries by allowing them to push their preferred candidates to the most prominent spot on primary ballots.

Several prominent New Jersey Republicans recently proposed bringing back the county line, even after a federal judge struck it down last year and state lawmakers outlawed it earlier this year.

Had he won, Ciattarelli could have opened the door to legislative efforts to bring the ballot design back or could have made rule-changes to weaken enforcement of the law that outlaws it.

New Jersey was one of two states in which the Department of Justice (DOJ) deployed election monitors. Specifically in New Jersey, monitors were sent to observe the ballot counting process in Passaic County, where Hispanics make up around almost half of the population.

California and New Jersey Democrats denounced the DOJ’s move, saying it meant to intimidate voters and create pretext to challenge election results as part of Trump’s ongoing efforts to undermine free and fair elections.

*Jim Saksa contributed to this report.