Sherrill Defeats Ciattarelli to Become NJ’s 57th Governor

By Jim Pytell, Managing Editor On Nov 5, 2025

Democratic nominee and Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill (D-11th) has won New Jersey’s gubernatorial election and will become the state’s 57th governor after defeating Republican nominee and former Assembly member Jack Ciattarelli. Her victory marks the first time a party has won three consecutive gubernatorial elections in the state in 60 years.

The Associated Press (AP) declared Sherrill the winner at 9:22 p.m. EST on Tuesday night.  

With 95% of the vote tallied this morning, Sherrill had secured 56.2% of the vote (1,792,760 votes) to Ciattarelli’s 42.2% (1,378,391 votes). 

“I am determined to build prosperity for all of our citizens,” Sherrill said during her victory speech last night at the Hilton East Brunswick Hotel. “I know these are tough times. I know not everyone voted for me, but I’m working for everyone, every single one of you. When we all do better, we all do better. So tomorrow begins a new day.”

Sherrill, a 53-year-old former Navy helicopter pilot and federal prosecutor, will become the second female to serve as a New Jersey governor, and the first female Democrat. Her lieutenant governor will be Centenary University President Dale Caldwell, who will become the first African-American man to serve in the role.

The margin of victory for Sherrill came as a bit of a surprise, as most pre-election polling had the race much closer.

In addition to the race for governor, 80 Assembly seats were also up for election in New Jersey, and as of this morning, it appeared as if Democrats were flipping several GOP seats.

New Jersey and Virginia were the only two states to hold governor races this year, and many believe that the results – both Democrat victories – are indicative of a referendum on President Donald Trump, whose presence loomed large over the elections and included an endorsement of Ciattarelli.

Throughout her campaign, Sherrill criticized Ciattarrelli for not standing up to the president, doing her best to paint him as a Trump loyalist.

Last night’s results are a tough pill to swallow for Ciattarelli, who has now lost three separate bids for governor. In the state’s 2021 gubernatorial election, he narrowly lost to incumbent Gov. Phil Murphy by three percentage points.

On the Issues

Affordability will undoubtedly be the biggest challenge for Sherrill, who will succeed fellow Democratic incumbent and term-limited Murphy – and will inherit one of the most unaffordable states in the country.

On energy prices, Sherrill said that she is committed to declaring a State of Emergency on utility prices on day one in order to freeze rate hikes for ratepayers.

She also said she wants to build out New Jersey’s energy arsenal to lower prices in the long term, including building new, cheaper, and cleaner energy generation, expanding storage capacity, and modernizing existing natural gas facilities to make them cleaner and more efficient.

On other cost-savings fronts, Sherrill said she would take on pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) whom she said are driving up drug prices by 10 times. On the housing front, she wants to go after landlords who “collude to drive up rents.”

She is also a supporter of the existing Stay NJ property tax relief program, and the ANCHOR program.

Additionally, Sherrill campaigned on transparency, promising to publish “plain‑language budgets,” create a New Jersey Report Card to track whether state programs are meeting goals, and to give the public tools to monitor spending over time.

“Throughout both campaigns, NJBIA was heartened to see a much-needed commitment from both candidates to improve New Jersey’s business climate and to give our job creators a more even playing ground from which to compete,” said NJBIA President and CEO Michele Siekerka. “We look forward to working with Governor-elect Sherrill on her business platforms and the many strategies offered in our Blueprint for a Competitive New Jersey to reduce business taxes, streamline business burdens and put our state budget on more stable footing.” 

Biography

Sherrill was born on January 19, 1972, in Alexandria, Virginia.

She has said she was inspired to join the military by her grandfather, who was a World War II veteran. She entered the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. in 1990. Four years later, she became a Navy helicopter pilot, flying an H3 Sea King on support missions out of Bahrain for the US fleet. She spent a full 10 years on active duty.

Following her service, Sherrill obtained a Master of Science degree in economic history from the London School of Economics in 2003, and a Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center in 2007. From 2008 to 2011, she was an associate at the law firm of Kirkland & Ellis in New York City. From 2012 to 2015, she worked as an outreach coordinator at the U.S. Attorney’s office for the District of New Jersey. From 2015 to 2016, she was an assistant U.S. Attorney for the same district, where she prosecuted federal cases.

On May 17, 2017, she announced her candidacy to run for Congress and pursue the 11th district seat that was held by Republican Rodney Frelinghuysen for 12 terms. In January 2018, Frelinghuysen announced he would not run for re-election. Sherrill won the Democratic nomination with 77% of the vote. In the general election against Republican Jay Webber. Sherrill would win reelection in 2020, 2022 and 2024. 

Shortly after her 2024 Congressional win, Sherrill announced she would run for New Jersey governor. She faced five other challengers in the primary, including Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, and former New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney. She won the primary, garnering 286,244 votes (34%) compared to her closest rival, Ras Baraka, with 173,951 votes (20.7%).

Now, she will be sworn in as the state’s next governor on January 20, 2026.

Assembly Election

In addition to the race for governor, 80 Assembly seats were also up for election in New Jersey. 

Entering the election, Democrats held 52 of the state’s 80 seats. This morning it appeared Democrats were gaining at least several more seats.

In District 21, Democrats Andrew Macurdy, a former state and federal prosecutor, and Garwood Councilman Vincent Kearney appeared to unseat Republican Assemblywomen Nancy Muñoz and Michele Matsikoudis with 93% of the vote in. 

In District 8, Assemblywoman Andrea Katz and Hammonton Education Association President Anthony Anthony Angelozzi were leading Assemblyman Michael Torrissi and former Assemblyman Brandon Umba with 95% of the vote in. 

With 95% of the vote in for District 2, Republican Assemblywoman Claire Swift narrowly trailed Democratic challengers Maureen Rowan and Joanne Famularo.  

In District 25, Republican Aura Dunn had a narrow lead with 95% of the vote in, but Republican Assemblyman Christian Barranco was trailing Democrat Marisa Sweeney by 245 votes. 

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