Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill has won New Jersey’s gubernatorial race, defeating Republican Jack Ciattarelli in one of the nation’s most closely watched off-year elections.

Sherrill, a former Navy helicopter pilot and federal prosecutor who has served in Congress since 2019, will become the Garden State’s 57th governor when she is sworn in on Jan. 20, 2026. Her running mate, Centenary University President Dale Caldwell, will serve as lieutenant governor. Sherrill’s victory marks the first time since 1965 that Democrats have secured three consecutive gubernatorial terms in New Jersey.

The contest, one of only two gubernatorial races this year, drew national attention as a barometer for both Democratic resilience in blue-leaning states and Republican momentum under President Trump’s second term. Polls consistently showed a Sherrill lead that tightened in the final weeks. A surge in early voting—particularly in Democratic strongholds like Essex and Hudson counties—helped carry Sherrill across the finish line.

Throughout the campaign, Sherrill emphasized her bipartisan credentials and pragmatic approach, pledging to expand the ANCHOR property tax relief program, invest in clean energy, and address the state’s affordable housing shortage. She also vowed to protect Medicaid and restructure tax brackets to ease burdens on middle-income earners.

Ciattarelli, 63, campaigned as a fiscal hawk and staunch opponent of Trenton’s Democratic establishment, criticizing Sherrill as a continuation of the Murphy administration. He proposed corporate tax cuts, a rollback of environmental regulations, and opposed programs like Stay NJ, which provides property tax relief for seniors.

Former President Barack Obama and President Donald Trump injected national energy into the race, with Obama stumping for Sherrill in Newark and Trump holding a tele-rally for Ciattarelli on the eve of the election, as well as posting on social media urging Lakewood turning out to vote for Ciattarelli.

As governor-elect, Sherrill inherits significant fiscal and policy challenges, including a projected $5 billion structural deficit, ballooning pension obligations, and federal headwinds on healthcare and immigration policy. She will also navigate a shifting political landscape, with President Trump’s federal agenda posing potential clashes on energy and education policy.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)