Mikie Sherrill becomes New Jersey’s first Democratic woman governor after defeating Trump-backed rival

U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill has been elected governor of New Jersey, defeating Republican Jack Ciattarelli in a closely watched race that tested the state’s political identity amid voter frustration over the cost of living and the direction of government.

A Montclair resident and former Navy helicopter pilot, Sherrill secured a hard-fought victory many saw as a referendum on former President Donald Trump, who endorsed Ciattarelli.

A former federal prosecutor who has served the 11th District in Congress since 2019, she prevailed with 56.2% of the votes over Ciattarelli’s 43.2%. This was Ciattarelli’s third bid for the state’s highest office.

Sherrill’s four-year term begins in mid-January. The Rev. Dale Caldwell, her running mate and president of Centenary University in Hackettstown, will serve as lieutenant governor.

At a victory party in East Brunswick, Sherrill was introduced by her husband. She took the stage to Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run” and chants of “Mikie! Mikie!”

“I hear you, New Jersey,” she said. “I am incredibly honored to be your next governor.”

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Sherrill recalled how she raised her hand and swore to defend the Constitution when she was 18 and said that moment defined her.

“It taught me that leadership means carrying the weight of other people’s hopes, standing firm when it is easier to bend, and always putting the common good above personal gain,” she said.

Sherrill wasted no time invoking the theme of the night—pushing back hard on Trump and defending democracy.

“As the president is backing away from this ideal, cutting SNAP, ripping away health care, terminating Gateway, we here in New Jersey are bound to fight for a different future for our children,” Sherrill said. “We see clearly how 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.”

Sherrill said prosperity is equally essential.

“Liberty alone is not enough if the government makes it impossible for you to feed your family, to get a good education, or to get a good job,” she said. “In this country, that shouldn’t be too much to ask. But right now, all of it seems at risk. Governors have never mattered more. And in this state, I am determined to build prosperity for all of our citizens.”

At 9:25 p.m., just two minutes after Sherrill was declared the victor, state Democratic Chairman LeRoy Jones dashed onto the stage at the East Brunswick Hilton amid the pandemonium of the victory celebration.

Jones referred to Sherrill as “a young helicopter pilot” who was about to save a state party that looked weak only last year when Trump made significant inroads in Democratic strongholds like Passaic County and other parts of North Jersey.

“Big Blue is back!” Jones hollered, his voice cracking. “New Jersey today said no to MAGA and yes to democracy. Today in New Jersey, we the people spoke. We can see the sunshine, and the sunshine is great here in New Jersey and across this nation.”

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Energized Democrats arrived early in droves to Sherrill’s election night party at the Hilton in East Brunswick. By 6:30 p.m., 90 minutes before the polls closed, some two dozen cars and limousines were stacked up at the parking garage entrance while crews of state police with bomb-sniffing dogs patrolled the hotel grounds and lobby.

Thirty minutes later, the ballroom was already filled to near capacity, and almost everyone seemed to have a story about high turnout and voter enthusiasm in their home precinct. Marla Johnson said she voted at 7:15 a.m. in Passaic County and was stunned to see two dozen of her neighbors already standing in line.

“That told me a lot,” said Johnson. “It told me that people were excited to vote. It told me they were excited to make a statement about what’s going on in Washington. It told me that we were standing up as a country again — it’s time for Democrats to fight.”

The sense of celebration in East Brunswick grew with the news that U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger, a college roommate of Sherrill, was handily winning her race for Virginia governor, with large numbers of independent and even rural voters breaking for her.

“What we’re starting to see is that the Democrats are fighting back in this country,” said former Gov. Jon Corzine, a Democrat who supports Sherrill. “Tonight is looking like a turning point.”

Corzine described Sherrill as an anti-Trump figure who would help propel the party into the bigger political fights next year and in 2028.

“Let me tell you, she has the kind of character that we need in office,” Corzine said. “She’s going to bring some kind of special leadership to Trenton.”

Shortly after 9 p.m., with Sherrill leading by some 14 percentage points with about half the votes counted, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker took the stage to talk about fighting Democrats.

“Tonight I feel a party coming,” he said, drowned out by cheers from the expectant partisans. “Tonight, we are showing that when you come after Jersey, you’re gonna have a fight. And if there’s gonna be a fight, bet on Jersey.”

Sherrill’s win breaks a six-decade pattern in which no party has held New Jersey’s governorship for more than two consecutive terms. She will succeed Gov. Phil Murphy, a two-term Democrat leaving office due to term limits.

She will be only the second woman, and the first Democratic woman, to lead New Jersey. Her victory comes as the state remains locked in disputes with the Trump administration, serving as a lead plaintiff in numerous federal lawsuits over immigration, climate, reproductive rights, and other issues.

Throughout the campaign, Sherrill cast herself as a pragmatic manager focused on affordability, infrastructure, and restoring public trust. Her platform centered on easing property taxes, expanding affordable housing, lowering utility costs, and improving public transit—issues that cut across party lines in one of the nation’s most expensive states.

Sherrill takes office amid deep economic and institutional challenges. New Jersey faces some of the nation’s highest property taxes, a strained transit network, and pressure to balance a $55 billion budget while steering an ambitious clean energy transition. Early priorities are expected to include curbing electricity costs, modernizing NJ Transit, and expanding access to child care and housing.

Ciattarelli, a former assemblyman who narrowly lost to Murphy in 2021, ran on promises of smaller government and fiscal restraint. His message resonated in many rural and southern counties, tightening the race in its final weeks as both campaigns fought for suburban swing voters.

Nationally, the outcome will be read as a test of Democratic durability in a politically divided state. For Republicans, Ciattarelli’s loss extends a decade-long drought in gubernatorial elections and highlights the party’s continued struggle to broaden its appeal beyond its conservative base.

Recent polls showed the race was almost tied, giving Republicans hope that this would be their year to win the gubernatorial race. At Ciattarelli’s election night gathering at the Bridgewater Marriott, a sea of boisterous, red-hatted Republicans flooded the ballroom around 8 p.m. Tuesday to cheer on their champion.

A smattering of news outlets called the race for Sherrill shortly afterward, threatening to kneecap the GOP celebration before it could get off the ground. But many people in the room confidently brushed that off as media bias and said voters’ anger at the status quo would carry Ciattarelli over the finish line.

“Typical libs, that’s what they’re gonna do,” one Secaucus Republican said of the early calls. “I feel very confident about tonight.”

But that optimism could not endure. Soon, a pall descended upon the room as early numbers streamed in. People stood in circles, clutching their phones and compulsively checking news sites or watching Fox News for updates.

Some muttered curses when news broke about Democratic victories in other races, such as the contentious New York City mayoral campaign or the Virginia governor’s race.

Then the local results rolled in, and more curses came out as stunned Republicans watched their chances of seizing the governor’s mansion slip into the New Jersey night.

By the time Ciattarelli took the stage just before 10 p.m., even the most stalwart defenders admitted it was over.

“I just congratulated Mikie Sherrill and gave her my very best wishes in hopefully solving New Jersey,” Ciattarelli said, his family by his side. “Listen, guys, nobody is more disappointed than I am. But I am proud of the effort we put forth.”

He noted that Republicans are the minority party in the blue state.

“That means also being the loyal opposition and continuing to ensure that our voice is heard,” he said. “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 they can achieve their American dream.”