Democratic U.S. Representative Mikie Sherrill defeated Republican Jack Ciattarelli with 57% of the vote to become New Jersey’s 57th governor on Tuesday night.
Sherrill will be sworn in as the state’s first female Democratic governor on Jan. 20, 2026, succeeding incumbent term-limited Phil Murphy. Christine Todd Whitman was New Jersey's first ever female governor, serving from 1994 to 2001. Whitman was a member of the Republican party before joining the Forward Party, a new centrist third political party, in 2022.
Although New Jersey is a reliably Democratic state, with the party controlling state government for almost eight years, it shifted to the right during last year’s presidential election. While presidential candidate Kamala Harris won the state, five previously Democratic counties flipped red in support of President Donald Trump. This year’s election drew national attention as it provides an early verdict on the political climate ahead of next year’s midterms.
In this year’s gubernatorial race, however, six counties that voted for Trump last fall swung back to blue.
According to The New York Times, over three million New Jerseyans cast ballots in this election, the highest turnout in state history.
The race was also the most expensive in state history. According to the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission, $145 million was spent by candidates and independent expenditure committees in the primaries. As of early October, Sherrill and Ciattarelli spent $23.6 million in the general election and independent expenditure committees supporting both campaigns had spent about $23.3 million.
At the forefront of Sherrill’s campaign was her opposition to President Trump and his policies. In her victory speech, she accused Trump of “ripping away” healthcare and food benefits.
Sherrill also emphasized affordability, stating in the Sept. 21 gubernatorial debate that she would declare a state of emergency on utility costs “on day one.”
Beyond affordability, Sherrill focused on improving mental health resources and education, advocating for the Kids Online Safety Act to protect adolescents online and encouraging the creation of county-based school systems to improve access to quality education.
Sherrill’s campaign also highlighted her professional past, including her service as a Navy helicopter pilot and federal prosecutor, as well as her tenure representing New Jersey’s 11th congressional district, which includes parts of Morris and Essex counties, since 2018.
South Orange calls Essex County home, and Sherrill has previously highlighted SHU in her remarks last spring. Sherrill previously called on Seton Hall to confront allegations surrounding the university’s president, Msgr. Joseph Reilly.
The Setonian previously reported that SHU “consistently declines requests to release the full report that allegedly implicates Msgr. Reilly in failing to properly report allegations of sexual misconduct at SHU’s Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology (ICS) and the College Seminary at St. Andrew’s Hall.”
In a note to the university, Sherrill urged SHU to “either fully clear Monsignor Reilly with transparency into the investigations, findings, and recommendations, or to find a new president.”
“SHU and the Board have a duty to the students, faculty, alumni, and all New Jerseyans to foster trust in your institution and its leadership—and cannot continue to stay silent in the face of these serious concerns,” she added.
This article has been updated to include Christine Whitman, New Jersey's first female governor.
Megan Pitt is the head editor for The Setonian’s News section. She can be reached at megan.pitt@student.shu.edu.
