Sherrill and Ciattarelli will face each other in NJ governor’s race

Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill and Republican former Assembly Member Jack Ciattarelli will face off in New Jersey’s gubernatorial election after winning their respective primaries in June.

The two candidates couldn’t be farther apart on major issues.

Sherrill is a former Navy helicopter pilot and federal prosecutor who was first elected to the House of Representatives from New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District in 2018.

She supports improving housing affordability, cutting health care costs, and enshrining the right to abortion in the New Jersey Constitution.

Ciattarelli hasn’t served in government since his third term in the New Jersey General Assembly expired in 2018. The 2025 gubernatorial election marks his third attempt to attain the governor’s office; he unsuccessfully ran for governor in 2017 and lost the Republican primary, then won the nomination in 2021 but lost the general election.

Ciattarelli’s website describes his position on abortion rights as “finding common ground”: He advocates for a ban on abortion at 20 weeks, which would make New Jersey more restrictive than Pennsylvania and Arizona, which have 24-week bans.

He also advocates for creating an “NJDOGE” styled after the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, known for its chaotic slashing of government spending — some of which is now being reversed. According to a report from Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, rather than deliver the promised $2 trillion in spending cuts, the DOGE cuts actually could result in a loss of $10 billion in economic activity, have caused the closure of programs that have returned more than $26 billion to taxpayers, and could lead to $500 billion in lost revenue due to decreased capacity at the Internal Revenue Service.

Sherrill unequivocally opposes the Trump administration, with her campaign website stating, “After Donald Trump was first elected, Mikie knew she had to do something to stand up for New Jersey, her country, and the values she swore an oath to defend in the Navy.”

Ciattarelli has been endorsed by Trump.

Sherrill also recently slammed Ciattarelli for an answer in a recent interview with NBC 10 Philadelphia. 

“You have said that your attorney general would not be suing the White House for President Trump’s executive orders. What if President Trump does something wrong or something unconstitutional?” “Battleground Politics” anchor Lauren Mayk asked him. “Does that mean he just gets a pass?”

Ciattarelli responded: “I think our governor should be working in partnership, Lauren, with the president in keeping the country safe. He’s done his part by securing the border. Illegal crossings are down 99%. We’re not going to have sanctuary cities in New Jersey when I’m governor. We’re not going to be a sanctuary state. And my attorney general will not be suing the White House over any and all measures that are meant to keep the country safe. That’s what the president ran on. He won overwhelmingly. And that’s what New Jerseyans want.”

Trump lost New Jersey by six points in the 2024 election.

“A baseline responsibility of New Jersey’s governor is to stand up for the people of our state,” Sherrill said in a statement responding to the Republican nominee’s interview answer. “Jack Ciattarelli continues to lack the backbone to lead and refuses to commit to stand up to the White House as Trump violates the Constitution. He apparently doesn’t understand what public service is about: serving others, not a party or president. Starting at the Naval Academy, I’ve taken countless oaths to uphold the Constitution, and I take that commitment seriously. New Jersey deserves a real leader and an independent voice in Trenton, not a Trump lackey like Jack who is ‘100%’ MAGA and will let Washington trample on the rights of all New Jerseyans. Here’s the big difference, I’m for New Jersey, Jack is for Trump.”

Her “100% MAGA” comment refers to a Truth Social post from Trump stating, “Jack, who after getting to know and understand MAGA, has gone ALL IN, and is now 100% (PLUS!).”

Ciattarrelli also explicitly states on his website that he seeks to model New Jersey education after Florida’s school voucher program, which allows taxpayer money to be spent on private school tuition. Experts say vouchers suck money out of public education. In a recent example, they cost the state of Arizona $429 million this year, shooting far past the $65 million cost estimate from when the state first passed its voucher plan in 2022. Sherrill does not support school vouchers.

The nominees’ primary victories on June 10 kick off nearly five months of campaigning. Election Day is Nov. 4.