Ciattarelli confident as New Jersey governor race tightens with Sherrill

EXCLUSIVE — LINDEN, NJ — With Election Day in New Jersey less than two weeks away and recent polls showing Jack Ciattarelli closing the gap on his Democratic rival, Rep. Mikee Sherrill, in one of two races for governor across the country this year, the Republican candidate’s confidence is high.

“Early voting starts this Saturday. We’re going to win. Let’s finish strong,” Ciattarelli told supporters at a packed restaurant in this small city in north central New Jersey.

Ciattarelli, who aims to bolster the Republican base as polls tighten, joined Florida Rep. Byron Donalds, one of President Donald Trump’s key House allies, on the campaign trail at three restaurants Wednesday morning and afternoon.

“Jack is running a great campaign. I’m watching this from the Sunshine State. But it’s about winning. We’ve got to help everybody get across the line,” Donalds said in a joint interview with Fox News Channel and Fox News Digital.

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Ciattarelli, who is running for a third consecutive term for governor of the Garden State and nearly upset Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy four years ago, says things are different this time.

“People are being more careful this time because of the closeness of the race in 21,” Ciattarelli said.

In a state where registered Democrats still outnumber Republicans despite GOP registration growth this decade, four polls released in the past two weeks by Fox News, Quinnipiac University, Fairleigh Dickinson University and Rutgers-Eagleton showed Ciattarelli narrowing the margins with Sherrill in the race to replace the term-limited Murphy.

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“I think we are in a great position,” Ciattarelli emphasized. “As you know, a lot of these polls are a dead giveaway. And this is in a state where Republicans tend to be polled because we’re the minority party. And when you get the support of Democratic mayors across the state, it says people want change. That’s exactly what we’re going to deliver when we win this race.”

Donalds, who received Trump’s support while running for governor of Florida next year, touted “the wind is behind us” in New Jersey.

When asked why he was making this trip, the congressman said, “It’s about New Jersey and it’s about getting the people of the Garden State to go out and vote. That’s all that matters right now.”

Donalds was the second major MAGA star to parachute into New Jersey. Last week, Ohio gubernatorial candidate and former White House contender Vivek Ramaswamy joined Ciattarelli at a restaurant filled with supporters inside and out.

Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy manages a campaign event for New Jersey GOP candidate for governor Jack Ciattarelli on October 15, 2025 in Saddle Brook, NJ (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)

Former Rahway, N.J., GOP chairman Patrick Cassio told Fox News: “Most Trump voters don’t vote for anyone else, so getting the guys they like out will get them to vote.”

“Four years ago, 400,000 Republicans didn’t vote. Think about it. If he gets half of them, he wins. The math is pretty simple,” Cassio said.

Democrats targeted Ciattarelli for collaborating with MAGA surrogates.

“Jack Ciattarelli is stepping up to the extreme reaches of MAGA, this time with Byron Donalds, who thinks people don’t need health insurance and wants a 6-week abortion ban. With two weeks until Election Day, Jack’s choice to stand shoulder to shoulder with him tells you everything you need to know about why he couldn’t be more wrong for New Jersey,” said Ryan Radulovacki, spokesman for the New Jersey Democratic State Committee. in a statement.

New Jersey and Virginia are the only two states to hold gubernatorial showdowns the year after a presidential election, and the contests traditionally attract great attention and are viewed as political barometers ahead of the following year’s midterm elections.

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And this year, they are seen in part as ballot box referendums on Trump’s unprecedented and explosive second-term agenda.

In blue-leaning New Jersey, Democrats have long dominated federal and state legislative elections, while Republicans are fiercely competitive in gubernatorial races, winning five of the last 10 elections.

And Trump made big gains in New Jersey in last year’s presidential election; His state lost just six percentage points, a huge improvement from its 16-point deficit four years ago.

Speaking during a campaign event at Wildwood Beach in Wildwood, New Jersey, on May 11, 2024, President Donald Trump will headline a tele-rally for the Garden State’s 2025 Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli. (Hannah Beier/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

While it’s not yet clear whether Trump will physically attend the campaign trail in New Jersey in the next two weeks, Fox News has confirmed that the president will hold a tele-rally with Ciattarelli ahead of Election Day.

Ciattarelli did not respond directly when asked if he would like Trump to personally join him on the campaign trail.

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“The White House is working in close partnership with us and they’ve told us ‘we’ll do whatever we think we can do to win.’ The president is very busy. So he has a lot of work to do. We are pleased to work in partnership with the White House to achieve a win here,” Ciattarelli said.

Even though Trump wasn’t on the ballot, he was prominent in the New Jersey gubernatorial election.

New Jersey Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rep. Mikie Sherrill (R) and Republican candidate Jack Ciattarelli are on stage at the start of their second and final debate on October 8, 2025 in New Brunswick, NJ. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News Digital)

In the second and final debate this month, Sherrill claimed that his GOP opponent “has shown zero signs of opposing this president.” In fact, the president himself called Jack 100% MAGA, and he showed every sign that he was.”

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When asked if he considered himself part of the MAGA movement, Ciattarelli said he was “part of the New Jersey movement.”

When asked to rate the president’s performance so far in his second term, Ciattarelli said, “I would definitely give the president an A. I think he’s been right in everything he’s done.”

“I think that tells us everything we need to know about who Jack Ciattarelli supports. I’m giving him an F right now,” Sherrill responded, noting the high cost of living in New Jersey.

In the weeks since the last debate, Sherrill has emphasized that Ciattarelli gives Trump an A grade.

Florida Republican Rep. Byron Donalds (R) joins New Jersey GOP gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli on the campaign trail at a restaurant in Linden, N.J., on October 22, 2025. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)

But Donalds argued that Sherrill’s focus on tying Ciattarelli to Trump would backfire.

“I think it’s a stupid strategy,” Donalds said. “Let me tell you why. He secured the border. That’s what the American people want, even the people in New Jersey. He did that. Our economy is solid and getting better every day. That’s what all Americans want.”

Sherrill, a Naval Academy graduate who flew helicopters during his military service and was first elected to Congress in 2018, encounters many friends on the campaign trail. This past weekend he was joined by two of the party’s biggest names: Govs. Michigan’s Gretchen Whitmer and Maryland’s Wes Moore are considered potential 2028 White House contenders. And two other potential presidential candidates, former Transportation Governor Pete Buttigieg and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, are also on stage.

Rep. Mikie Sherrill, the Democratic candidate for governor in New Jersey, holds a press conference at a commuter rail station in Secaucus, NJ, on October 16, 2025. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)

And Sherrill’s campaign announced Tuesday that the most popular Democrat in the country — former President Barack Obama — will headline a rally with her in Newark, N.J., on Nov. 1, the final weekend before Election Day.

But Ciattarelli’s campaign claimed that Obama’s appearance on the campaign trail in New Jersey was a sign of weakness for Democrats.

“The National and New Jersey Democrats are in a complete panic. At this point, we expect them to import anyone they think can excite Democrats because Mikie Sherrill doesn’t excite anyone,” Ciattarelli campaign chief strategist Chris Russell told Fox News Digital. he said.

Former President Barack Obama speaks at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Tuesday, August 20, 2024. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) announced Tuesday that it will up the ante by directing more money to the New Jersey Democratic Coordinated Campaign on top of the $3 million distributed to the Garden State.

“This November will set the tone for years to come, and now is our moment to show Donald Trump and the Republicans that their time in power is over,” DNC Chairman Ken Martin said in a statement. he said.

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New Jersey traditionally elects a governor from the party not in power in the White House, which will favor Democrats this year.

But Garden State voters have not elected a governor from the same party in three consecutive elections in more than half a century, which would favor Republicans.

One of these political trends will go off the rails in two weeks.