Mikie Sherrill projected winner in New Jersey governor race
Democrat Mikie Sherrill, a New Jersey lawmaker who serves in the U.S. House of Representatives, is expected to win the governor’s race in the Garden State.
Sherill will replace Democratic Governor Phil Murphy in one of many races seen as bellwethers for both a referendum on US President Donald Trump and the 2026 midterm elections.
The US Naval Academy graduate, helicopter pilot and former federal prosecutor first entered politics in 2018, as anti-Trump sentiments gripped the US during his first term.
The congressman bested former state legislator Jack Ciattarelli, a Republican. His victory came after fellow liberal Abigail Spanberger won the governor’s race in Virginia.
At the victory rally, Sherrill said his election victory would bring a “new day” to the state.
“I know these are difficult times. I know not everyone voted for me, but I work for everyone,” he said.
She told supporters she would follow the country’s founding principles and noted this election sent a message to US President Donald Trump.
“We will follow the sign of Lady Liberty. We will not give in to our dark impulses,” he said. “Here in New Jersey, we know that this nation has never been and will never be ruled by kings. We swear an oath to a Constitution, not to a king.”
In a reliably blue state that is also considered a bellwether for next year’s midterm elections, where Democrats hope to swing control of Congress in their favor, the race to lead the state was neck-and-neck between Ciattarelli and Sherill, who is backed by President Donald Trump, in the weeks leading up to the Nov. 4 general election.
Both focused on cost of living; Ciattarelli, a businessman and former Republican state representative, has proposed lowering personal and corporate tax rates and using a new school funding formula to lower taxes statewide.
Sherrill campaigned on proposed tax incentives for new housing developments and a freeze on utility rate increases.
State governors are key figures with enormous power who control many aspects of American life, from education to abortion rights. Governors have a say in matters decided at the state level.
In New Jersey, governors’ terms are limited to two consecutive terms. But they are not limited to non-consecutive terms. New Jersey, the third US state and one of the original 13 US colonies, last had a Republican governor in 1988.
As polling stations opened on Tuesday, the BBC’s US partner CBS reported receiving bomb threats, prompting the temporary closure of some polling places and police intervention.
Sherrill called the threats “a clear attempt to undermine our democratic system and deter New Jerseyans from going to the polls to exercise their right to vote.”
His opponent, Ciattarelli, told CBS there was “no place for such nonsense in politics.”
