Sherrill defeated Republican Jack Ciattarelli in race that suggests Democratic resilience amid Trump\u2019s second term<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Democratic nominee Mikie Sherrill was elected on Tuesday to be the 57th governor of New Jersey<\/a>, defeating Jack Ciattarelli, a former state representative and Republican, in a race that suggested the resilience of the party after Donald Trump\u2019s return to office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Associated Press called the race for Sherrill just two hours after polls closed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The contest \u2013 one of only two gubernatorial races this year \u2013 drew national attention as a potential preview for what\u2019s to come in the 2026 midterms and an early gauge of Trump\u2019s standing with voters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In June, New Jersey Democrats held a competitive primary that tested whether progressive candidates like Newark mayor Ras Baraka<\/a> or longtime party stalwarts like former state senate president Steve Sweeney<\/a> could capture the party\u2019s energy. But voters chose Sherrill, a moderate former prosecutor and navy helicopter pilot who was elected to Congress in 2018\u2019s blue wave<\/a> to represent a suburban district.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sherrill\u2019s nomination provided a stark contrast to the upset win across the Hudson by Zohran Mamdani in New York City\u2019s Democratic mayoral primary, highlighting two potential paths forward for the party during the second Trump administration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ciattarelli was the Republican nominee for the second time, after running in 2017 but losing the nomination to former lieutenant governor Kim Guadagno, and surprising pollsters in 2021 with a closer-than-expected loss<\/a> to governor Phil Murphy. While Ciattarelli\u2019s last attempt for the governor\u2019s mansion was more in line with New Jersey\u2019s history of moderate Republicans, this time, he won Trump\u2019s endorsement and attempted to balance<\/a> a campaign about affordability with culture war messaging focused on gender identity and immigration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a race where voters were intensely concerned about rising cost of living, recent polls showed<\/a> razor thin margins between the candidates. At times, the campaign broke down into outright scandal, including the leaking<\/a> of Sherrill\u2019s military records by a Ciattarelli ally, and threats<\/a> of a defamation suit from Ciattarelli against Sherrill after she accused him during their final debate of \u201ckilling tens of thousands\u201d of people in connection with the opioid crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The New Jersey contest was slated to be a close election after several counties flipped for Trump in last year\u2019s presidential election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n