Overview
- Democrat Mikie Sherrill won by roughly 13.5 points and collected about 1.7 million votes, with well over three million ballots cast in what the AP says was New Jersey’s highest gubernatorial turnout rate since 2009.
- Republicans and conservative commentators questioned the outcome by highlighting an increase of about 500,000 voters versus 2021, though these integrity claims remain unsubstantiated in the reporting.
- Multiple pollsters missed the scale of the result, as Quantus Insights reported a late October finding of Sherrill +3 and later said the final numbers did not align with pre‑election surveys or exit polling.
- AP county‑ and precinct‑level analysis describes the result as a reversion from 2024, with Sherrill reclaiming the five counties Trump flipped last year and expanding the Democratic margin in Bergen County.
- Intra‑party blame surfaced on the right, with activist Mike Crispi alleging GOP establishment sabotage and naming local figures including Morris County chair Laura Ali.