It’s a jump ball in New Jersey as voters head to the polls in a tight race for governor between Democrat Mikie Sherrill and Republican Jack Ciattarelli.
The race, which is being closely watched ahead of next year’s midterm elections, has been particularly ugly, with attacks and dark accusations on both sides. Ciattarelli, a former state legislator and small businessman, is running as a Trump Republican. Sherrill, a former Navy pilot who has served in Congress since 2019, is backed by Democratic fixtures like former President Barack Obama and New Jersey resident Stephen Colbert.
Recent polls put Sherrill ahead of Ciatarelli by an average of 5 points. The Republican candidate has asserted his internal polling shows them deadlocked. Current Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, is term-limited.
More than 1.3 million New Jerseyans cast their ballots ahead of Election Day, including nearly 600,000 mail-in ballots, according to VoteHub, a nonpartisan political media site.
Several voters who spoke with Gothamist on Tuesday talked about how the political atmosphere in Washington had informed their vote.
Nancy Ariza, a nurse from Clifton, said immigration issues motivated her to head to the polls.
“I'm looking out for my kids coming from a Hispanic household,” she said. “We just want to make sure that our voices are heard and that we're safe and that our community feels safe as well.”
Richard Smith from Paterson said he was most concerned about the uncertainty around food assistance benefits during the federal government shutdown.
“No. 1, I'm mad they're taking the food stamps from the people who really need them,” he said. “Not me, people who really need them. This should have never happened.”
An election worker at a Jersey City poll site on Nov. 4, 2025
Michael Santos, 48 and from Clifton, was outside a polling center canvassing for Democrats as a favor to a friend. But he said he had no intention of voting himself.
“Politics have turned me off in the past few years,” he said. “They give us the illusion like we have options, but I don’t think we have so many options.”
In Jersey City, canvassers were spread out and campaign signs were planted everywhere.
Affordable housing was top of mind for Mindalia Green, 55, born and raised in Jersey City. She said she voted for Bill O’Dea for mayor.
“The rent is too high,” she said, noting lives by herself and has to work two jobs to make rent. “Something needs to be done.”
Kat Choate, who recently moved to Jersey City from Brooklyn, said they found the “nonpartisan” tone of the mayor’s race interesting and voted for O’Dea.
Choate said they went with Sherrill for governor.
“I know that New Jersey has been standing up to ICE in terms of not opening facilities for them, so I’d like to see that continue,” Choate said, referring to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “I don’t want someone to end up in power who is going to be cooperating with the federal government on kidnapping and deporting people.”
This is a developing story and may be updated.
Correction: A previous version of this story misidentified Kat Choate.
