Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Mikie Sherrill becomes New Jersey’s second woman governor, securing a rare third term for her party
By
Mike Hayes
,
Karen Yi
and
David Brand
Published Nov 5, 2025
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images
By
Mike Hayes
,
Karen Yi
and
David Brand
Published Nov 5, 2025
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Mikie Sherrill won’t just become the second woman to serve as governor in New Jersey’s history when she’s sworn into office on Jan. 1 after defeating Republican Jack Ciattarelli.
The Democratic member of Congress has also pulled off another feat: winning a third term for her party as the state’s top official. Sherrill will succeed Gov. Phil Murphy.
Sherrill addressed a rambunctious crowd of supporters Tuesday night at her election event in East Brunswick. Supporters chanted her name as she took the stage.
“This was a tough fight, and this is a tough state. But I know you, New Jersey, and I love you,” she said. “I’ve fought for you. I’ve spoken with thousands of you over this last year. I know your struggles. I know your hopes. I know your dreams. So serving you is worth any tough fight I have to take on, and I am incredibly honored to be here.”
The last time a party won three consecutive governor’s terms in New Jersey was over 60 years ago. In 1961, Democrat Richard Hughes won an upset victory over Republican James Mitchell.
Republican Christine Todd Whitman served from 1994 to 2001 as the first female governor of New Jersey.
Revelers at Sherrill's election night party on Tuesday.
Mike Hayes
Voter turnout surged in this year's election, in both early in-person voting and Election Day turnout. Early voters turned in more than 600,000 ballots, tripling the number from the 2021 gubernatorial race. Overall, more than 3.1 million New Jersey voters cast ballots — up from about 2.6 million in 2021.
“This is historic,” said Teresa Ruiz, New Jersey Democratic state senate majority leader and a Sherrill supporter. “But the most compelling thing is the numbers that came out. People were excited to go. They connected with her and they understood what was at stake.”
Supporters at Ciattarelli’s election night event began trickling out of the ballroom at the Marriott Hotel in Bridgewater shortly after the race was called for Sherrill. Those who remained chanted “Thank you, Jack,” as he addressed the crowd, saying he’d called Sherrill to concede.
“Even though we were not successful tonight, it does not mean we were not successful in talking about the issues that matter,” Ciattarelli said. “The fight doesn’t end, we fight for another day.”
Jack Ciattarelli
Kena Betancur/Getty Images
This was Ciattarelli’s third try for the state’s highest office and his second as the Republican Party’s nominee. President Donald Trump had endorsed him twice — once during the primary and the general — and Ciattarelli aligned himself closely with the MAGA movement. But the president’s popularity has dwindled in the Garden State, with recent polls putting his unfavorables around 60%.
“I thought it’d be closer than what it is,” said Phil Wilson, 44, a Ciattarelli supporter from Hillside. “We was all hoping for different results, but the outcome was much different than we expected.”
Ciattarelli supporters at his election event Tuesday night.
Karen Yi
After the primary in June, a poll from Rutgers University’s Eagleton Institute gave Sherrill a sizable 20-point advantage over Ciattarelli.
However, subsequent polls placed her lead in the single digits, suggesting that the race was tightening in recent months. But Sherrill gained over 56% of the vote as of late Tuesday night, reaffirming polling that, on average, showed her with a five-point advantage in the final months of the race.
Tagged
Politics
election
new jersey
Mike Hayes
Mike Hayes covers equity and access to opportunity in New Jersey. He joined WNYC and Gothamist in 2023. Before that, he worked as a freelance journalist writing about policing and criminal justice. He has written for ProPublica, CNN, HuffPost, BuzzFeed News and The Appeal. He is also the author of the book, “The Secret Files: Bill De Blasio, The NYPD, and the Broken Promises of Police Reform.” In 2019, he was a finalist for the Livingston Award for Young Journalists.
Read more
Karen Yi
Karen Yi covers homelessness and poverty. She joined the WNYC and Gothamist newsroom in 2020. Before that, Karen covered Newark for the Star-Ledger and spent almost a decade working for newspapers in New Jersey and Florida. She grew up in Miami and has a dog named Cashew. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal 917-589-1460.
Read more
David Brand
David is a reporter covering housing for Gothamist and WNYC. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal 908-310-3960.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 4:15 p.m. ET
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
The Garden State now requires that corn masa dough and flour made and sold in the state be fortified with folic acid.
By
Arya Sundaram
News
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
The Garden State now requires that corn masa dough and flour made and sold in the state be fortified with folic acid.
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
NYC nor’easter dries up after weather service reports minor flooding
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .