by Dana DiFilippo, New Jersey Monitor
November 4, 2025
Democrat Mikie Sherrill was elected New Jersey governor on Tuesday, the Associated Press projects, landing a hard-fought victory that many election observers regarded as a rejection of President Donald Trump.
Sherrill, a four-term congresswoman and former federal prosecutor, defeated Jack Ciattarelli, a Republican and retired state assemblyman making his third bid for governor.
Her win bucks a six-decade trend that has seen no party hold the governor’s seat for more than two consecutive terms. She will replace Gov. Phil Murphy, a term-limited Democrat who has led the Garden State since 2018.
She will become New Jersey’s second female governor at a time when the state is bitterly at odds with the Trump administration, with the Garden State a lead plaintiff or party to 40 lawsuits against the federal government.
Her win came despite stinging attacks from Ciattarelli that had cast her as a Murphy clone sure to continue policies that have helped drive up costs in the Garden State.
Sherrill brought in a bevy of big-name politicians to stump at her side, including former President Barack Obama and several Democratic governors and federal lawmakers.
Her four-year term will begin in mid-January. The Rev. Dale Caldwell, her running mate who’s now president of Centenary University in Hackettstown, will be lieutenant governor.
Sherrill, a Montclair mother of four and former Navy helicopter pilot, has represented the 11th Congressional District, which covers parts of Morris, Essex, and Passaic counties, since January 2019. Her elevation to the governor’s mansion will leave that seat up for grabs in 2026.
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