Democrat Mikie Sherrill wins NJ gubernatorial primary, setting up showdown with Trump-backed GOP winner

MORRISTOWN, N.J. – Rep. Mikie Sherrill won New Jersey's Democratic gubernatorial primary connected Tuesday night.

The Associated Press projects that Sherrill has won the Democratic primary, teeing up a competitory contention against three-time gubernatorial candidate and erstwhile GOP authorities lawmaker, Jack Ciattarelli, to regenerate Democrat Gov. Phil Murphy, who is term-limited this year. 

Sherill swept a crowded tract of Democratic candidates, including Newark politician Ras Baraka, Jersey City politician Steve Fulop, New Jersey Education Association president Sean Spiller, erstwhile New Jersey Senate president Steve Sweeney and chap U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer.

Democrat and Republican candidates often evoked President Donald Trump's sanction connected the New Jersey run trail, arsenic Democrats positioned themselves arsenic the astir anti-Trump and Republicans vied to beryllium the astir pro-Trump candidate. It was Ciattarelli who landed the Trump endorsement arsenic Democrats worked to opposition the president's imaginativeness with their own. 

TRUMP NOT ON BALLOT, BUT PRESIDENT FRONT AND CENTER IN NEW JERSEY'S PRIMARY FOR GOVERNOR

Rep. Mikie Sherrill spoke with reporters aft voting astatine Hillside Elementary School successful Montclair, New Jersey, connected Tuesday, June 10, 2025.  (Fox News Digital)

New Jersey is 1 of conscionable 2 governor's races successful 2025, on with Virginia. Both volition beryllium utilized by politicians and pundits to gauge however Americans are responding to Trump's 2nd word up of the midterm elections adjacent year. 

TRUMP FRONT-AND-CENTER IN REPUBLICAN PRIMARY FOR GOVERNOR AS EARLY VOTING KICKS OFF

As they campaigned for the coveted nomination, Democratic candidates walked a good enactment betwixt gathering connected Murphy's bequest and promising to alteration the presumption quo successful Trenton. Like Murphy, Democratic candidates person rejected Trump's enforcement orders, his crackdown connected amerciable migration and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cuts. 

Acting arsenic the past enactment of defence to a sweeping Republican agenda, Democratic governors person often rejected Trump's enforcement actions during his 2nd term. By suing the Trump medication to unlock national funds oregon refusing to comply with ICE deportations, Democratic governors – including galore rumored to harbor 2028 statesmanlike ambitions – are often starring the party's absorption to Trump. 

President Donald Trump held a run rally connected May 11, 2024 successful Wildwood, New Jersey, portion campaigning for president. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Trump erstwhile again took halfway signifier connected Tuesday arsenic Sherrill and Gottheimer were peppered with questions by the property astir the protests and riots unfolding successful Los Angeles. 

When asked however she would grip the ongoing concern successful Los Angeles otherwise from Gov. Gavin Newsom, Sherrill touted her subject and instrumentality enforcement inheritance and told Fox News Digital she would basal up "strongly successful favour of keeping radical present successful the authorities safe," instrumentality information to the streets and proceed "speaking retired against a president who is trying to make unit successful the country."

Sherrill is simply a U.S. Navy seasoned and served successful the U.S. Attorney's Office successful New Jersey arsenic an outreach and re-entry coordinator, which she described as prosecuting national cases and advising instrumentality enforcement connected investigations.  

Rep. Mikie Sherrill, joined by her children, arrives astatine Hillside Elementary School successful Montclair, New Jersey, to formed her ballot successful the primary.  (Deirdre Heavey/Fox News Digital)

"Governor Newsom surged instrumentality enforcement in, and what Trump seems to beryllium doing is trying to adhd substance to the occurrence and truly marque the concern convulsive and bad," Sherrill told reporters aft casting her ballot successful Montclair connected Tuesday morning. "That's wholly unacceptable."

Gottheimer said it was "outrageous" for Trump to nonstop the National Guard to California without Newsom's request. 

"The information that the president, for the archetypal clip since 1965, sent troops successful from the National Guard without a petition from the politician is outrageous. It's conscionable much chaos that we're utilized to having successful this administration. It's not however I would attack this," Gottheimer told Fox News Digital aft voting successful Tenafly. 

Ras Baraka, Mayor of Newark, speaks astatine the State of the People Power Tour successful Newark, NJ, Tuesday, May 13, 2025. Baraka holds a rally aft being arrested astatine a national migration halfway the week before. (Stephanie Keith for Fox News Digital)

Democratic candidates threw their enactment down Baraka past period aft helium was arrested for trespassing astatine an ICE facility successful Newark. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) called it a "beyond bizarre governmental stunt," but Baraka has maintained that helium did thing wrong. 

Last week, Baraka filed a lawsuit against Alina Habba, U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Agent Ricky Patel "for mendacious arrest, malicious prosecution, and defamation." 

Trump outperformed successful the Garden State successful 2024, according to Fox News Voter Analysis. 

A "Vote Here" motion astatine the Presbyterian Church successful Tenafly, New Jersey, connected Tuesday, June 10, 2025.  (Deirdre Heavey/Fox News Digital)

While Vice President Kamala Harris won New Jersey successful 2024 arsenic expected, Trump gained a astir five-point betterment from his 2020 ballot stock and Harris' enactment dropped by astir 5 points. He gained crossed New Jersey, with his largest swings successful the northeast country of the state. Hudson and Passaic counties pb the pack.

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Ciattarelli lost by a hair to Murphy successful 2021 and framed his candidacy arsenic a referendum connected the Democratic policies that person driven New Jersey for the past 8 years. 

Fox News' Remy Numa contributed to this report.