Sherrill, Ciattarelli tied in NJ as voters weigh Trump factor: Poll
NJ NOW EXTRA - Discussion on Governor's Race & Transparency
A New Jersey Now Extra! A look at transparency in the Garden State and how it relates to the upcoming election! Republican Strategist Jeanette Hoffman, Democratic Strategist Brendan Gill, Dan Cassino ? Executive Director of the Fairleigh Dickinson University Poll, and Matt Kadosh - Reporter for Montclair Local discuss the issue!
NEW YORK - President Donald Trump’s pick for New Jersey governor, Republican Jack Ciattarelli, has pulled into a dead heat with Democrat Mikie Sherrill just weeks before the election, according to a new Emerson College Polling/PIX11/The Hill survey.
READ MORE:
- Who is Jack Ciattarelli and what are his views?
- Who is Rep. Mikie Sherrill and what does she stand for?
Race for NJ Governor in dead heat
What we know:
The poll finds 43% of likely voters backing Sherrill and 43% supporting Ciattarelli, with 11% undecided.
The results mark a sharp shift from earlier surveys that showed Sherrill with a steady lead.
"The first Emerson College general election survey of New Jersey’s 2025 election for governor reveals a tightly contested race in the Garden State," Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, said in a statement.
Men vs women voters
Voter breakdowns highlight generational and gender divides.
Sherrill leads among voters under 40 by a wide margin, 58% to 24%, while Ciattarelli holds an advantage with voters over 50, 52% to 36%. Women favor Sherrill by 10 points, 46% to 36%, while men side with Ciattarelli by 12 points, 51% to 39%. Women are also more likely to remain undecided, with 15% still on the fence compared to 6% of men.
Gov. Phil Murphy, who cannot seek reelection, has a 35% job approval rating, down five points since May. Trump, who endorsed Ciattarelli, is viewed negatively by a majority of New Jersey voters, with 51% disapproving of his job performance.
NJ voters say they want candidate to stand up to Trump
US President Donald Trump during a meeting with Karol Nawrocki, Poland's president, not pictured, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025. The escalating tension between Nawrocki and Prime Minister Don
What they're saying:
"Both President Trump and Governor Murphy are underwater among Jersey voters," Kimball said. "Sherrill is trying to tie Ciattarelli to Trump at the national level, and Ciattarelli is trying to tie Sherrill to Murphy and the cost of living at the state level."
The poll also found that 51% prefer the candidate stand up to the administration, while 49% prefer they work with the Trump administration.
Since May, sentiment has flipped: those wanting the next Governor to stand up to Trump increased four points from 47% to 51%, and those who prefer the governor to work with Trump decreased from 53% to 49%.
NJ economy
Economic issues continue to dominate concerns as well.
Fifty-one percent of respondents identified the economy as the state’s top issue, followed by threats to democracy (13%), housing affordability (11%), and health care (6%).
Local perspective:
The Emerson College Polling New Jersey survey of 935 likely voters was conducted Sept. 22-23, with a credibility interval of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.