Every four years, the people of the Garden State choose who we want to lead our state. Regardless of political affiliation, an easy and smooth election process happens on the first Tuesday of November every four years, and the next governor is chosen. In 2025, we made history. Democratic candidate Mikie Sherrill, former Navy helicopter pilot and current NJ State Representative was elected as the 57th Governor of the State of New Jersey. For the first time since the 1960s, a nominee from the incumbent party was elected for a third consecutive term.
The 2024 Presidential Election was the closest that the Republican party had come to winning New Jersey in years. Democrat Kamala Harris defeated the eventual winner, Donald Trump in New Jersey by a mere 5 points, the lowest margin of victory since 2004, when Democrat John Kerry defeated eventual-winner George W. Bush by a margin of 4 points.
Prior to the election, both candidates had received endorsements from many notable figures. Sherrill was endorsed by former president Barack Obama, Governor Phil Murphy, and the NJEA. Republican nominee Jack Ciattarelli was endorsed by president Donald Trump, and former NJ governor Thomas Kean.
Despite pre-election polls projecting a margin of victory below 1 point, Mikie Sherrill cruised to victory over Jack Ciattarelli. Every county in the state had trended towards more Democrat votes than in the 2024 Presidential election. Sussex and Cumberland counties had the largest trend to the left, with a +16.2% change in votes from Republican in 2024 to Democrat in 2025. Ocean County had the lowest change, with a +1.4% Democrat shift.
With the election process all wrapped up, the question quickly becomes, what comes next? What will happen now that the race is called and the winner has been announced? Our current governor, Phil Murphy has three months until he leaves office, and Sherrill has three months until she takes on the biggest job of her life, so what’s next? Well, one certainty is that Sherrill will resign from her seat in Congress, and a special election will take place in her district.
When Sherill takes office, there will not be a First Lady of the State of New Jersey, however, there will be a First Gentleman. Sherill’s husband, Jason Hedberg, will take over the duties of First Lady/Gentleman from Governor Murphy’s wife, Tammy.
Sherill will be sworn-in on January 20th, 2026, and the first action she’ll take is to call a state-wide state of emergency on utility costs, as she vowed during her campaigning. Sherrill is expected to be slightly different from Governor Murphy’s governorship, more moderate than liberal, but not conservative.
By the next gubernatorial election cycle in New Jersey in 2029, nearly all current MTHS students will be eligible to vote, so over the next four years, please stay politically informed (for news that isn’t politically affiliated, the Associated Press ‘AP’ is a good source), and register to vote when you turn 17!
