Overview
- Rep. Mikie Sherrill captured the Democratic nomination Tuesday, defeating five rivals with about 35% of the vote.
- Former state assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli secured the Republican nod with roughly 67% support after winning President Trump’s endorsement.
- New Jersey’s primaries shattered spending records, with candidates and outside groups pouring over $122 million into a race reshaped by the end of the county-line ballot system.
- Sherrill campaigned on moderate themes of affordability, national security, and reproductive rights while Ciattarelli cast his candidacy as a referendum on eight years of Democratic rule.
- The November 4 general election will be closely watched as an early gauge of voter sentiment toward the Trump administration in a state Trump narrowed by 10 points between 2020 and 2024.