Mikie Sherrill celebrates win in NJ governor’s race, as supporters cheer: ‘Blue is back!’

EAST BRUNSWICK — After voters gave a resounding victory to Democrat Mikie Sherrill in the New Jersey governor’s race Tuesday, Sherrill celebrated her win with hundreds of supporters, vowing to fight back against federal policies that have put New Jersey and other Democratic states in the crosshairs of President Donald Trump’s administration.

Sherrill, a four-term congresswoman and former federal prosecutor, took the stage in a sprawling ballroom at the Hilton East Brunswick Hotel around 10 p.m. as supporters erupted in cheers of “Mikie! Mikie! Mikie!” She told the jubilant crowd that her Republican rival, Jack Ciattarelli, had just called to concede the race. As of 11 p.m., the Associated Press reported she’d won 56% of the vote to his 43%.

After pointing to the Trump administration’s moves to cut federal food assistance to 42 million Americans, halt federal subsidies for Obamacare, and cancel the Gateway tunnel project, Sherrill vowed to “fight for a different future in New Jersey.”

“Governors have never mattered more!” she said. “In this state, I am determined to build prosperity for all of our citizens.”

She worked throughout her campaign to nationalize the race and paint it as a choice between democracy and the MAGA movement, often reminding voters that Trump endorsed Ciattarelli. She echoed that Tuesday night, saying New Jersey residents “take oaths to the Constitution, not a king.”

“With this vote, you guys just screamed from the rooftops, and people around the country have heard you,” she said.

She noted the divisiveness of the campaign and politics more broadly but vowed to govern without grudges.

“I know these are tough times. I know not everyone voted for me,” she said. “But I’m working for everyone. Every single one of you. When we all do better, we all do better. So tomorrow begins a new day.”

Many of the Democratic members of New Jersey’s congressional delegation joined supporters at Sherrill’s party, including Reps. Herb Conaway, LaMonica McIver, Rob Menendez, and Frank Pallone, as well as various state officials, including Gov. Phil Murphy.

Once polls closed at 8 p.m., a string of union leaders and politicians took the stage to jazz up a crowd that was already primed to party after the Virginia governor’s race was called for Democrat Abigail Spanberger.

“It won’t be long now!” Sen. Cory Booker shouted from the stage at 9 p.m. “A lot of talk this last year or so. After all that has been said and done, New Jersey has come together! And tonight the whole nation will hear us roar!”

Deafening cheers erupted after the AP called the race for Sherrill at 9:23 p.m.

Sherrill’s win bucks a six-decade trend that has seen no party hold the New Jersey governor’s seat for more than two consecutive terms. She was part of a national Democratic sweep Tuesday, with Spanberger’s victory and Zohran Mamdani snagging a win in the New York City mayor’s race.

“Blue is back!” LeRoy Jones, chair of the New Jersey Democratic Party, yelled from the Sherrill stage. “New Jersey said no to MAGA and yes to democracy!”

He added: “Now we can see the sunshine! And the sunshine is great on the future of the Democratic party!”

The Rev. Dale Caldwell, Sherrill’s pick to become lieutenant governor, had his own cheering section too. His daughter Ashley bragged onstage about her father, while his longtime friend Benjamin Morton watched proudly from the crowd.

Morton, a lawyer, couldn’t vote for Sherrill and Caldwell because he lives in Maryland, but he watched the race from afar and predicted a resounding Democratic win even before the polls closed, resorting to a sports metaphor in line with his brief pre-law career as a former professional basketball player in Europe.

“Generally, the team that’s leading throughout the entire game doesn’t lose in the fourth quarter,” Morton said. “I don’t see any three-point shots or last-minute turnovers here. I think they can squeak it out. Of course, there’s upsets. There’s upsets all the time in sports and in politics. Hopefully there’s no upsets.”

Sherrill will replace Murphy, a term-limited Democrat who has led the Garden State since 2018. Her four-year term will begin in mid-January.

She will become New Jersey’s second female governor at a time when the state is bitterly at odds with the Trump administration, with the Garden State a lead plaintiff or party to 40 lawsuits against the federal government.

Her supporters said Sherrill’s win reflects that dissatisfaction with policies coming out of the White House and Republican-controlled Congress.

“We are seeing a rejection of Trump’s economic policies, and I think in sync with that, Democrats were really able to home in on the affordability message. She had a very clear, strong message on affordability, which for working-class folks is really important,” said Anna-Marta Visky, New Jersey political and field director for labor union Communications Workers of America, District 1.