Democrat Mikie Sherrill is projected to win the New Jersey gubernatorial election against Republican Jack Ciattarelli.
As of 9:30 p.m. with 63% of the expected vote reporting, Sherrill holds more than a 14-point lead — 57.0% to 42.4%.
“New Jersey, it is the honor of my life to earn your trust to become this great state’s 57th Governor,” Sherrill wrote on X, celebrating her victory. “I promise to listen, lead with courage, and never forget who I serve.”
The former Navy pilot makes history as the first Democratic female governor of New Jersey. Former Republican Gov. Christine Todd Whitman was the state’s first female governor, serving two terms from 1994 to 2001.
Sherrill’s victory breaks a notable trend in the state, as no party has controlled the NJ governor’s seat for three consecutive terms since the 1960s. Her Democratic governorship will immediately succeed current Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy’s back-to-back terms.
Sherrill represents New Jersey’s 11th congressional district, which includes parts of Essex and Morris County. She flipped the district when she won in 2018.
Tuesday’s results mark Ciattarelli’s third unsuccessful bid for governor. The former state assemblyman set his sights on the governor’s mansion in 2017, but failed to secure the Republican primary. He made it to the general election in 2021, but lost to Gov. Phil Murphy by just 3 points.
Sherrill consistently led Ciattarelli in the polls throughout the course of the campaign, though their distance narrowed slightly in the days leading up to the election.
Ciattarelli’s loss comes as Republicans have tightened their margins in New Jersey in recent years, with Trump losing the state by just 6 points in 2024, compared to 16 points in 2020.
Former President Bill Clinton has already reacted to the news, congratulating Sherrill on her victory.
“Today is a great day for New Jersey as the people have chosen an experienced, get-the-job-done kind of leader who will fight for you every day as Governor. Congratulations on your election,” he wrote on X.
Polls mostly closed in New Jersey on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET. — however, they remained open until 9 p.m. ET in parts of Passaic County after unfounded bomb threats earlier in the day halted voting at locations across the northern part of the state, a judge ruled.
The race has been seen as a bellwether for how voters feel about President Donald Trump, the upcoming battle for the U.S. House in the 2026 midterms and the more general national sentiment against incumbent leaders.
Republicans have also been speculating that they can flip the governor’s mansion because of a closer-than-expected margin between Trump and then-Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024.
Taxes and the economy are the most important issues for New Jersey voters, according to a preliminary exit poll analysis by ABC News.
Most New Jersey voters said the economy in the state was doing “not so good” or “poor,” and that property taxes were “a major problem” where they live, according to the analysis.
Most New Jersey voters also said electricity costs where they live are “a major problem,” according to the analysis.
Sherrill and Ciattarelli have clashed over affordability, taxes and policy, while also pointing to the national context of the second Trump administration. During one of their debates, Ciattarelli embraced the main tenets of Trump’s presidency while attempting to keep some distance between himself and Trump’s greater political movement; meanwhile, Sherrill took several opportunities to criticize Trump while looking to tie the president and Ciattarelli tightly together.
The race was jolted in September after the National Archives blamed a technician’s mistake for the release of Sherrill’s unredacted military records that included personal information, which she alleged was intentional. Ciattarelli, meanwhile, has slammed her admission that she did not walk at Naval Academy graduation because she did not tell on cheating classmates.
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