Rep. Mikie Sherrill secured the Democratic nomination for New Jersey governor Tuesday, defeating five other candidates in the most wide-open gubernatorial primary the state has seen in years. 

Awaiting Sherrill in November’s general election will be Republican Jack Ciattarelli, who narrowly lost to Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy in 2021. Murphy was ineligible to seek a third consecutive term.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Sherrill was leading with 34 percent of the vote, The Associated Press reported, followed by Newark Mayor Ras Baraka (20.5 percent), Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop (16 percent), Rep. Josh Gottheimer (12 percent), union leader Sean Spiller (11 percent) and former New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney (7 percent). 

“The Democratic Party is ready for the fight,” Sherrill said in her victory speech as she paid tribute to her opponents. “After multiple debates, countless meet-and-greets, hundreds of thousands of votes cast, I know we are stronger. We have a clear vision, and we are going to deliver for New Jersey.”

Ciattarelli, a former state assemblyman who had President Donald Trump’s endorsement, was leading a five-way primary with 68 percent of the vote Wednesday afternoon. His nearest opponent, radio host Bill Spadea, trailed with 22 percent, followed by state Sen. Jon Bramnick with 6 percent, among others.    

“Tonight, we celebrate. But for only one night,” Ciattarelli told supporters Tuesday at his election night party. “For tomorrow, we get back to work as the real cause for celebration comes on the evening of Nov. 4”

The November election to succeed Murphy will be closely watched as a potential barometer of how voters feel about the new Trump administration and full Republican control of Washington. 

New Jersey is one of two states that hold gubernatorial elections in the off year after a presidential election. The other is Virginia, which holds its primaries next week. The commonwealth’s gubernatorial matchup, however, is essentially set between Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears and Democratic former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, with neither facing primary opposition. 

Sherrill and Spanberger are the latest Democrats from the House class of 2018 to seek higher office. Michigan’s Elissa Slotkin won a high-profile Senate race last year, while Reps. Haley Stevens of Michigan, Angie Craig of Minnesota and Chris Pappas of New Hampshire are running for Senate this cycle. 

On the campaign trail, Sherrill emphasized her background as a Naval helicopter pilot and as a federal prosecutor before entering politics. She first came to Congress by flipping a House seat in North Jersey and was able to parlay that past success into winning the gubernatorial nomination.

“Mikie knows how to win tough races, and we look forward to working alongside her to win this competitive race for governor in November,” Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, the chair of the Democratic Governors Association, said in a statement.

Heading into Tuesday’s primary, Sherrill had emerged as the Democratic front-runner and faced attacks from some other candidates in the campaign’s final weeks.

Several rivals or their allies have attacked her on the airwaves over past campaign donations made to her House campaign by a corporate PAC associated with SpaceX, the private aerospace company founded by tech mogul Elon Musk. Sherrill has donated $24,000 of those contributions to a food bank, according to federal campaign filings.  

As she pivots to the general election, Sherrill has already sought to tie Ciattarelli to Trump. In an exchange on social media after House Republicans passed their budget reconciliation bill, she called Ciattarelli “a yes-man for the MAGA agenda.”

Ciattarelli, in turn, tied his Democratic opponent to the incumbent governor, saying in his victory speech: “Make no mistake. Mikie Sherrill is Phil Murphy 2.0.”

While Democrats have largely dominated federal statewide elections in New Jersey in recent years, the governorship has regularly switched between the two parties for several decades. Ciattarelli lost to Murphy by a narrower-than-expected 3 points in 2021. And Republicans are also feeling bullish on the Garden State after Trump came up short by just 6 points in last year’s presidential election, after losing by 16 points four years earlier. 

“The choice could not be clearer this November for New Jersey voters,” said Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, the chair of the Republican Governors Association adding that Ciattarelli “has proven that he has the plan to fix New Jersey with commonsense solutions.”

Sherrill will be hoping to become the first Democratic woman to be elected governor of New Jersey, and the state’s second female governor after Republican Christine Todd Whitman, who served from 1994 to 2001. 

Among her rivals for the nomination was Gottheimer, a co-founder of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus and member of the moderate Blue Dog Coalition who made affordability a focal point of his campaign. He indicated Tuesday night that he planned to run for reelection to the House next year.

Democrats needed to appeal to a broader base, Gottheimer said Tuesday in postelection remarks.  

“Way back when I worked for President Clinton, our big-tent Democratic party included everyone from carpenters to cops – we attracted working class folks. Everyone mattered – and it showed in our results,” he said. “As Democrats, if we want to win again, which I know we will continue to do, we need to get back to common sense every day.”

Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales rates the New Jersey governor’s race Leans Democratic.

Staying in the House

Sherrill said in an emailed statement through a spokesperson that she intends to stay in Congress as she shifts to general election mode.

“I was elected to represent New Jersey’s 11th District, I’ve been very effective delivering for families, and I intend to continue serving the people through this election,” she said. 

Several House members have launched gubernatorial campaigns, including Republican Reps. Byron Donalds of Florida, John W. Rose of Tennessee, John James of Michigan and Andy Biggs of Arizona.  

Still, a Sherrill win in November would trigger a special election for her 11st District seat, which became much safer for Democrats following redistricting after the 2020 census. She won her most recent race by 15 points, while Kamala Harris carried the district by 9 points, according to calculations by The Downballot. 

One potential successor should a vacancy arise could be Democratic former Rep. Tom Malinowski, Inside Elections reported. Malinowski, like Sherrill, flipped a New Jersey seat in 2018, but he lost reelection four years later after district lines were redrawn.