Mikie Sherrill has been elected governor of New Jersey, becoming the states second female governor after receiving 1,682,689 votes November 4. This makes Sherrill the second-ever female governor in New Jersey history, with the first being Christine Todd Whitman, who served as Governor from 1994 to 2001.
Sherrill won the majority of her votes in Essex and Camden counties, with both giving her over 120,000 votes. Hudson County gave her just over 112,000 votes. This also marks the first time since the 1960s that, for the last three terms, the same political party was elected as governor.
This race was fairly close with republican and former New Jersey representative Jack Ciattarelli. In this election, he had 43.3% of the total votes as of November 4th, 2025, 10:45 PM. The possibility of him winning was higher after being endorsed by President Donald Trump earlier this year. Cittarelli had previously criticized Donald Trump, but after he said he “got to know and understand MAGA,” he gained the endorsement. This 2025 election marked his third time running for governor.
Citarelli’s presidential endorsement was not the only one received during this election with Sherrill receiving an endorsement from former President Barack Obama through a rally that was held in Newark New Jersey. Obama said, “Mikie will work with anyone, if it helps the people in New Jersey” and further said “We need leaders like Mikie, public servants who are in it for the right reason”
Statewide Polling surveys were conducted by Rutgers University that were conducted from July 31 to August 11, 2025, and through these surveys, Sherrill was projected to win by 8-9 points through likely voters, having a lot of her votes from African American Voters, having roughly 69% of African American Votes.
The 2025 race for governor was projected to be the most expensive in New Jersey History, with campaign spending being over 120 million dollars by mid cycle, setting a new record. The candidates spent approximately $54.8 million, alongside outside committees spending approximately $67.7 million; a later estimate showed a combined spending total of $145 million.
With her victory, Sherrill promises to focus on affordability, infrastructure, and uniting a politically divided state.
