New Jersey Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciatarelli (left) and Democratic New Jersey gubernatorial candidate Mikie Sherrill.
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New Jersey voters will decide Tuesday whether to elect Democratic candidate Mikie Sherrill or Republican challenger Jack Ciatarelli as the next governor.
The race, one of only two U.S. gubernatorial elections this year, is seen as a harbinger of how President Donald Trump’s overwhelming presence is affecting Republican support across the country.
The results could also help shape the electoral landscape for the 2026 midterm elections, when Democrats hope to regain control of at least one chamber.
Sherrill, a former U.S. Navy helicopter pilot, has been a member of New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District since 2019.
Ciattarelli is a businessman who has run for governor twice.
The winner of this race will succeed current Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, who is completing his second and final term.
Democrats far outnumber Republicans in New Jersey, but some polls heading into Tuesday’s election show a close race between the candidates.
But Michael Prusser, director of data science at DecisionDeskHQ, said early vote counts before Election Day showed Democrats had built a solid turnout advantage.
Trump lost New Jersey to Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in the 2024 election. But he won more votes than he did in the 2016 election, thanks in part to his penetration of the state’s Latino community.
Sherrill courted traditionally Democratic voters by speaking Spanish on the campaign trail and in TV ads.
She has also focused her campaign on affordability, following the Democratic Party’s broader messaging strategy.
Ciattarelli, who was endorsed by President Trump, ran a campaign that reflected many of the president’s MAGA policies.
The election comes amid an extended federal government shutdown, and polls show Americans blame Republicans and Trump more than Democrats for it.
Both candidates have raised more than $20 million and spent nearly $17 million in the final stages of their campaigns.
Despite suffering a demoralizing loss in 2024 and suffering persistently low approval ratings, Democrats have reason to be optimistic about the 2026 cycle.
According to multiple polls, President Trump’s approval rating has fallen sharply since the beginning of his term, and is lower than it was at this point in his first term.
Anti-Trump sentiment has been and is a galvanizing force in the Democratic Party, particularly during the recent “No Kings” protests that have drawn millions of participants across the country.
This is developing news. Please check back for the latest information.
