New Jersey governor’s race is set as Mikie Sherrill and Jack Ciattarelli win their primaries
New Jersey Governor’s Race — Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill and Republican Jack Ciattarelli have won their parties’ primaries for governor in New Jersey, NBC News projects, setting up one of the most closely watched races of the year.
Sherrill beat out five other Democrats for her party’s nod, pitching herself as the most electable candidate — after her party struggled in the state last year compared with other recent presidential elections — and as a Democrat willing to stand up to Trump. She also leaned heavily on her background as a former Navy helicopter pilot and on criticism of Trump.
“It’s going to take a strong voice to cut through the noise from Washington and deliver for the people. So I stand here tonight doing just that. And as a mom of four teenagers, you guys know I’m not going to put up with the incompetent, whiny nonsense coming from aggrieved MAGA Republicans,” Sherrill told her supporters Tuesday at a victory rally.
“You probably can’t do better than to quote George Washington at this moment: Fix the bayonets, I’m resolved to take Trenton,” Sherrill added.
Ciattarelli, who had Trump’s endorsement in the primary, defeated four other Republicans for the nomination in which he also appealed to voters’ desire for electability, casting himself as the Trump ally best positioned to win the Democratic-leaning state in November. Ciattarelli came close in 2021 to defeating Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, who cannot run for re-election because of term limits. And during his victory speech, he panned Sherrill as “Phil Murphy 2.0” and pitched a vision for an inclusive GOP that would buck years of Democratic control in the state.
“We made a strong statement about what the New Jersey Republican Party stands for: A party open to anyone and everyone who is willing to work hard and play by the rules; a party of Jersey values and common sense policies; a party that believes our best days are ahead of us if, if we have the courage to think big and act boldly,” Ciattarelli said.
Sherrill touted her military service and her success flipping a longtime Republican House district in 2018 as she made her case to primary voters. While each of the candidates presented a different path forward for the party, Sherrill said the “obvious” path is to “effectively govern.”
“Ruthless competence is what people in New Jersey want to see in government,” Sherrill told NBC News before she marched in the Asbury Park Pride parade. “And that’s what I’ve always provided, and that’s what I think stands in stark contrast to the most incompetent federal government we’ve probably ever seen in this nation.”
Ciattarelli leaned on his endorsement from Trump in the final weeks of the race, in which he faced former radio host Bill Spadea, state Sen. Jon Bramnick, former Englewood Cliffs Mayor Mario Kranjac and contractor Justin Barbera.
Ciattarelli trounced his opponents, winning more than two-thirds support with most of the expected vote in. Spadea was in a distant second at 22%, followed by Bramnick, Kranjac and Barbera in single digits.
Trump hosted a tele-rally as early voting kicked off this month, telling supporters that Ciattarelli is “going to help us with a win this November and send a powerful message to the entire country that New Jersey is turning red.”
