Ciattarelli confident as New Jersey governor’s race tightens with Sherrill

EXCLUSIVE — LINDEN, NJ — With less than two weeks until Election Day in New Jersey, and the latest polls suggesting Jack Ciattarelli is closing the gap with his Democratic rival, Rep. Mikee Sherrill, in one of only two gubernatorial races this year across the country, confidence in the Republican candidate is high.

“Early voting starts this Saturday. We mobilize, we win. Let’s finish strong,” Ciattarelli told supporters in a crowded restaurant in this small town in north-central New Jersey.

Ciattarelli, who aims to strengthen the Republican base as polls tighten, was joined on the campaign trail Wednesday morning and afternoon at three dinners by Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida, a top ally of President Donald Trump in the House.

“Jack ran a great campaign. I watched it from the Sunshine State. But it’s about winning. We have to help everyone get over the line,” Donalds said in a joint interview with Fox News Channel and Fox News Digital.

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Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli, left, is joined by Republican Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida at a restaurant in Linden, New Jersey. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)

Ciattarelli, who is making his third consecutive bid for governor of the Garden State and nearly upset Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy four years ago, says things are different this time around.

“Because of how close this race is to 2021, people are paying more attention to it this time,” Ciattarelli said.

In a state where registered Democrats still outnumber Republicans despite a surge in GOP registration this decade, four public opinion polls released in the past two weeks — from Fox News, Quinnipiac University, Fairleigh Dickinson University and Rutgers-Eagleton — indicated that Ciattarelli was narrowing the margins with Sherrill in the race to succeed Murphy, who is term limited.

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“I think we’re in a great position,” Ciattarelli said. “As you know, a lot of these polls are deadlocked. And that’s in a state where Republicans are typically polled because we’re the minority party. And when you have the support of Democratic mayors across the state, that means people want change. That’s exactly what we’re going to achieve when we win this race.”

Donalds, who enjoys Trump’s support as he runs for governor of Florida next year, touted that in New Jersey, “the wind is at our back.”

When asked why he made the trip, the congressman responded, “It’s about New Jersey and making sure the people of the Garden State get out and vote. That’s all that matters right now.”

Donalds was the second major MAGA star to parachute into New Jersey. Last week, Ciattarelli was joined at a dinner packed inside and out with supporters of Ohio gubernatorial candidate and former White House candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.

Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy leads a campaign event for Jack Ciattarelli, October 15, 2025, in Saddle Brook, New Jersey. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)

“A lot of Trump voters don’t vote for anyone else, so bringing out the guys they like will get them out the vote,” former Rahway, New Jersey GOP Chairman Patrick Cassio told Fox News.

“Four years ago, 400,000 Republicans didn’t vote. So think about it. If he picks up half, he wins. The math is pretty simple,” Cassio said.

Democrats have targeted Ciattarelli for teaming up with MAGA surrogates.

“Jack Ciattarelli is stepping up his outreach to the far fringes of MAGA, this time with Byron Donalds – who doesn’t think people need health insurance and wants a 6-week ban on abortion. With two weeks until Election Day, Jack’s choice to stand side by side with him tells you everything you need to know about why he couldn’t be more wrong for New Jersey,” said Ryan Radulovacki, spokesperson for the New Jersey Democratic State Committee. accused in a statement.

New Jersey and Virginia are the only two states to hold gubernatorial showdowns in the year following a presidential election, and such contests traditionally attract outsized attention and are seen as political barometers ahead of the following year’s midterm elections.

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And this year, they are seen, in part, as electoral referendums on Trump’s explosive and unprecedented agenda for his second term.

While Democrats have long dominated federal and state legislative elections in blue-leaning New Jersey, Republicans are highly competitive in gubernatorial elections, winning five of the last ten elections.

And Trump made big gains in New Jersey in last year’s presidential election, losing the state by just six percentage points, a dramatic improvement from his 16-point deficit four years earlier.

President Donald Trump, seen speaking at a campaign event in Wildwood, New Jersey, May 11, 2024, will headline a tele-rally for Jack Ciattarelli, the 2025 Republican gubernatorial candidate in the Garden State. (Hannah Beier/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Although it is still unclear whether Trump will physically participate in the campaign trail in New Jersey over the next two weeks, Fox News has confirmed that the president will hold a tele-rally with Ciattarelli before Election Day.

When asked if he wanted Trump to join him in person on the campaign trail, Ciattarelli did not respond directly.

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“The White House is working in close partnership with us, and what they’ve said is ‘we’ll do whatever we think we can do to win’. The president is very busy, so there’s a lot going on. We’re happy to partner with the White House to achieve a victory here,” Ciattarelli said.

Although Trump is not on the ballot, he played a significant role in the election for New Jersey governor.

Representatives Mikie Sherrill and Jack Ciattarelli, on stage at the start of their second and final gubernatorial debate, October 8, 2025, in New Brunswick, New Jersey. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News Digital)

During this month’s second and final debate, Sherrill accused his Republican rival of having “shown no signs of resisting this president. In fact, the president himself called Jack 100% MAGA, and he showed every sign of being one.”

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When asked if he considered himself part of the MAGA movement, Ciattarelli said he was “part of a New Jersey movement.”

When asked to assess the president’s performance so far in his second term, Ciattarelli responded, “I would definitely give the president an A. I think he’s right about everything he’s doing.”

“I think that tells us everything we need to know about who Jack Ciattarelli supports. I give him an F right now,” Sherrill responded, noting New Jersey’s high cost of living.

In the weeks following the final debate, Sherrill pointed out that Ciattarelli gave Trump an A rating.

Rep. Byron Donalds joins Jack Ciattarelli on the campaign trail at a restaurant in Linden, New Jersey, October 22, 2025. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)

But Donalds argued that Sherrill’s emphasis on the connection between Ciattarelli and Trump would have the opposite effect.

“I think it’s a stupid strategy,” Donalds said. “Let me tell you why. He secured the border. That’s what Americans want, even those in New Jersey. He did it. Our economy is healthy and getting better every day. That’s what all Americans want.”

Sherrill, a Naval Academy graduate who flew helicopters during her military service and was first elected to Congress in 2018, has plenty of company on the campaign trail. Last weekend, she was joined by two of the biggest names in the party: the governors. Michigan’s Gretchen Whitmer and Maryland’s Wes Moore — who are seen as potential contenders for the White House in 2028. And former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, two other potential presidential contenders, are on deck.

Rep. Mikie Sherrill holds a news conference at a commuter rail station in Secaucus, New Jersey on October 16, 2025. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)

And Sherrill’s campaign announced Tuesday that the nation’s most popular Democrat — former President Barack Obama — would headline a rally with her in Newark on Nov. 1, the last weekend before Election Day.

But Ciattarelli’s campaign said Obama’s upcoming appearance on the New Jersey campaign trail was a sign of weakness for Democrats.

“National and New Jersey Democrats are in a panic. At this point, we expect them to import anyone they think can excite Democrats because Mikie Sherrill doesn’t excite anyone,” Chris Russell, chief strategist for the Ciattarelli campaign, said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

Former President Barack Obama speaking at the Democratic National Convention on August 20, 2024 in Chicago. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) announced Tuesday that it is upping the ante, pumping more money into New Jersey’s coordinated Democratic campaign, on top of the $3 million already distributed in the Garden State.

“This November will set the tone for years to come, and this is the time for us to show Donald Trump and the Republicans that their term is coming to an end,” DNC Chairman Ken Martin said in a statement.

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New Jersey traditionally elects a governor from the party out of power in the White House, which would favor the Democrats this year.

But Garden State voters have not elected a governor from the same party in three consecutive elections in more than half a century, which would favor Republicans.

One of these political trends is going to be derailed in two weeks.