On Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill secured the governorship of New Jersey, igniting optimism among Democrats and exposing Republican weaknesses, especially considering recent indications of a conservative trend in a state historically leaning Democratic.
TL;DR
- Mikie Sherrill won the New Jersey governorship, a Democratic victory against Republican Jack Ciattarelli.
- Sherrill, a former Navy pilot, framed her win as a rejection of President Trump's agenda.
- This marks New Jersey's first consecutive Democratic gubernatorial wins in sixty years.
- The election also saw bomb threats at polling places, leading to a brief extension of voting hours.
Sherrill, who previously served as a Navy helicopter pilot and represented her district in Congress for four terms, bested Jack Ciattarelli, who had received President Donald Trump's endorsement. She promptly framed her win on Tuesday night as a judgment on the Republican president and certain aspects of his agenda, including healthcare, immigration, and economic strategies.
“We here in New Jersey are bound to fight for a different future for our children,” Sherrill told her supporters gathered to celebrate her victory. “We see how clearly important liberty is. We know that no one in our great state is safe when our neighbors are targeted, ignoring the law and the Constitution.” She was joined on stage with her husband and children.
Sherrill, 53, provides some comfort to Democrats who identify as moderates as they consider the direction for next year's midterm elections. As a former prosecutor and military veteran, Sherrill, along with Abigail Spanberger, the other Democrat who was elected as Virginia governor, represent a type of centrist Democrat focused on attracting some conservative voters while also supporting certain progressive initiatives. Sherrill's campaign focused on opposing Trump and attributing voters' economic worries to his tariffs.
Ciattarelli contacted Sherrill to offer congratulations on the outcome and did not reference Trump in his remarks.
“It is my hope that Mikie Sherrill has heard us in terms of what we need to do to make New Jersey that place where everybody can once again feel that they can achieve their American dream,” Ciattarelli said.
The start of voting on Tuesday was disrupted after officials in seven counties received e-mailed bomb threats later determined by law enforcement to be unfounded, said the state’s top election official, Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way. A judge granted a one-hour extension at some polling places after Democrats made a request for three schools that received the threats earlier Tuesday.
Sherrill marks milestones
She's set to become New Jersey's second female governor, following Republican Christine Todd Whitman's tenure from 1994 to 2001. This win also marks the first time in sixty years that Democrats have secured three consecutive gubernatorial election victories in the state, a feat not accomplished by either major party in that timeframe.
Ciattarelli failed to win the second straight general election, despite coming very close to unseating Gov. Phil Murphy four years prior.
New Jersey’s odd-year race for governor, one of just two this year along with Virginia, often hinged on local issues such as property taxes. But the campaign also served as a potential gauge of national sentiment, especially how voters are reacting to the president’s second term and Democrats’ messaging ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, chair of the Democratic Governors Association, praised Sherrill’s win as “a roadmap for how Democrats can overcome precedent and win in deeply competitive races when we stay laser-focused on our positive vision to address the biggest issues impacting families in their daily lives.”
A victory against Trump
In her speech on Tuesday, Sherrill said voters were concerned with attacks on their civil liberties as well as on their economic well-being. She said Trump is “ripping away” health care and targeting food benefits. Democratic governors across the country have been pushing back on those issues, as well as planned National Guard deployments in their states.
Sherrill also criticized him for something that impacts New Jersey specifically: Canceling a project to expand train access to New York City. In the closing weeks of the campaign, she lambasted the president’s threat to cancel the Hudson River project.
“Governors have never mattered more,” Sherrill said. “And in this state, I am determined to build prosperity for all of us.”
From the Navy to the governor’s office
Sherrill steps into the governorship role after serving four terms in the U.S. House. She won that post in 2018 during Trump’s first term in office, flipping a longtime GOP-held district in an election that saw Democrats sweep all but one of the state’s 12 House seats.
During her campaign, Sherrill leaned hard into her credentials as a congresswoman and onetime prosecutor as well as her military service. But she also had to defend her Navy service record after a news report that she was not allowed to participate in her 1994 graduation ceremony from the U.S. Naval Academy commencement in connection with an academic cheating scandal at the school.
Sherrill said the punishment was a result of not turning in some classmates, not because she herself had cheated. But she declined to release additional records that the Ciattarelli campaign said would shed more light on the issue.
For her part, she accused Ciattarelli of profiting concerning the opioid crisis. He previously owned a medical publishing firm that produced continuing education resources for physicians, some of which addressed pain management and opioids. Sherrill characterized it as “propaganda” for pharmaceutical companies, a claim Ciattarelli refuted.
Promises for New Jersey
Sherrill is set to take over a state budget that grew significantly during Murphy's tenure. Murphy fulfilled commitments to finance the public worker pension fund and a K-12 school aid formula, areas previously overlooked by prior governors, through substantial income taxes on affluent individuals. However, challenges persist, such as unaddressed commitments to sustain a property tax relief initiative launched in the governor's second term.
Tuesday's ballot also included all 80 Assembly seats, currently held by Democrats with a 52-seat majority.
For many years, New Jersey has not backed a Republican for U.S. Senate or the presidency. However, the governorship has frequently changed hands between the two major parties. The most recent instance of a single party winning three consecutive gubernatorial elections in New Jersey occurred in 1961, when Richard Hughes secured victory, following Gov. Robert Meyner. Both Hughes and Meyner were members of the Democratic party.