PHILADELPHIA (AP/ KYW Newsradio) — U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill clinched the Democratic nomination for New Jersey governor Tuesday night amid a crowded field of candidates.
Sherrill defeated high-profile candidates, including Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, former New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney, Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, fellow Rep. Josh Gottheimer, and New Jersey Education Association President Sean Spiller.
In her victory speech, she criticized Republican challenger Jack Ciattarelli, who had President Donald Trump’s endorsement, as his “lackey,” invoked New Jersey’s role in the American Revolution, and hinted at the state’s role as one of just two holding a race for governor a year after the presidential election.
“New Jersey once again stands at the front lines,” she said. “We are in an American crisis, but not in a war for independence but a fight for our future.”
Sherrill becomes the Democrats’ standard-bearer at a time when the state party is looking to win the governorship for a third straight term and the national party is looking for leadership and a message that resonates with voters.
Sherrill built her campaign around her personal story: a Naval Academy graduate who flew choppers for the Navy, she went on to work as a federal prosecutor in New Jersey. She first ran for office in 2018, during the midterm election in Trump’s first term, winning in a district that the GOP had controlled for years.
Her primary campaign, like those of her rivals, focused on finding ways to make the state more affordable, though she shied away during the primary campaign from offering a broad-based plan. She focused instead on more narrow steps, such as lowering housing costs by boosting the number of development tax credits so more housing could be built.
Ciattarelli, a former state lawmaker and small businessman, defeated four rivals. He now heads into the general election seeking to win back the governorship for Republicans after two straight Democratic victories and hoping to build on his 2021 performance when he came within a few percentage points of defeating the current governor, Democrat Phil Murphy.
The general election will undoubtedly cover New Jersey issues, like the high cost of living and sky-high property taxes. But it also sets up a clear test for the president, a part-time resident with a long history in New Jersey, who waded into the contest on Ciattarelli’s side and was assailed by Sherrill throughout the primary campaign.
The two open races for governor this year — the other is in Virginia — could also offer signals about how the public is responding to Trump’s agenda and whether Democrats have succeeded in their efforts to rebuild after defeat in 2024.
New Jersey has been reliably Democratic in Senate and presidential contests for decades. But the odd-year races for governor have tended to swing back and forth, and each of the last three GOP governors has won a second term.
A Sherrill win in November would give New Jersey its second female governor after Christine Todd Whitman held the office for two terms as a Republican. Murphy is prohibited from seeking a third consecutive term because of term limits. He didn’t endorse a successor in the primary.
Murphy offered kudos to both candidates in a statement, writing, “After a hard-fought primary campaign, New Jersey voters have spoken, and they have selected Mikie Sherrill and Jack Ciattarelli as the Democratic and Republican nominees for Governor, respectively. I want to offer my congratulations to both Mikie and Jack for earning the trust and support of primary voters all across our state.”