Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill will win the race for governor in New Jersey, CNN’s Decision Desk projects, maintaining Democratic control of the seat one year after the state showed signs of shifting toward President Donald Trump.
Sherrill, who will be the first female Democratic governor in the state’s history, defeated Republican nominee Jack Ciattarelli, a former state assemblyman and Trump ally making his third run for governor. She is set to follow the term-limited Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, marking the first time a party has held the governor’s office in New Jersey for more than two full consecutive terms in the last 50 years.
Sherrill’s victory likely will be viewed as a repudiation of Trump’s first year in office and demonstrates the Democratic Party’s staying power in New Jersey even as it rebuilds on the national level.
Sherrill put opposition to Trump and his agenda at the center of her campaign messaging, often linking Ciattarelli to the Republican president. She hewed to moderate policies and prioritized cost-of-living concerns, including rolling out plans to address skyrocketing utility costs in the state.
Her win comes a year after Trump made significant gains in the state in the 2024 election. Trump lost New Jersey by 6 points to former Vice President Kamala Harris but reduced his margin of defeat by 10 points compared with 2020.
Sherrill, a 53-year-old attorney and mother of four, was first elected to Congress in 2018 as part of a blue wave in Trump’s first term in office. A former Navy helicopter pilot, Sherrill featured her military experience in her campaign advertisements, saying in one TV spot, “I know the world feels like it is on fire right now, but I was trained in the Navy that in a crisis, you run to the fight.”
Ciattarelli, meanwhile, sought to tie Sherrill to the outgoing Democratic administration in Trenton, which he blamed for high energy costs, and to progressive Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for mayor in New York City. Ciattarelli, a former critic of Trump, embraced the president throughout much of his campaign, saying in one debate that Trump’s second-term performance deserved an “A” grade.
Sherrill held a slight edge in public polling over Ciattarelli for most of the campaign.
In the final stretch, the candidates traded increasingly personal and heated attacks.
Ciattarelli amplified a story about Sherrill not walking at her graduation from the Naval Academy as punishment connected to a massive cheating scandal, prompting the New Jersey Democrat to defend her military service. Sherrill’s unredacted military records were also mistakenly released by a branch of the National Archives, prompting calls for investigations from her Democratic allies.
In their final debate, Sherrill attempted to blame Ciattarelli for “tens of thousands” of opioid deaths in New Jersey, arguing that his medical publishing company produced materials misleading people about the risks of opioid abuse. Ciattarelli’s campaign strongly pushed back on the claim, at one point threatening to sue Sherrill.
Outside Democratic and Republican groups poured millions of dollars into the race, making it the most expensive gubernatorial contest in New Jersey history. High-profile surrogates campaigned for the candidates in the final stretch.
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