Overview

• Polls place Representative Mikie Sherrill at 28% in the six-candidate Democratic field and former Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli at 44% in the five-person Republican race
• The century-old ‘county line’ ballot design has been abolished, enabling a record-high Democratic primary lineup without machine-clustered endorsements
• President Trump’s endorsement of Ciattarelli has bolstered his front-runner standing in GOP polls
• In May, 4,472 new unaffiliated voters registered, outpacing additions for both Democrats and Republicans and signaling widespread dissatisfaction
• Analysts view Tuesday’s primaries as an early gauge of party strength for the 2026 midterms and a test of whether a party can win three straight gubernatorial terms in New Jersey