NJ election results: Live vote counts and totals in governor’s race

Contributing to this report: Mike Brant, Julia Slevin, Charles Meyer & Anthony Centeno

🚨 BREAKING NEWS: AP projects Mikie Sherrill as winner of NJ governor's race

"We said no to Trump," Sherrill said in a victory speech to fire up New Jersey Democrats.

TRENTON — The polls have closed. New Jersey voters cast ballots today in one of the nation's only two gubernatorial races this year. The expected-to-close contest between Democrat Mikie Sherrill and Republican Jack Ciattarelli could signal whether the Garden State is shifting politically after nearly a decade of Democratic control.

The Associated Press called the race for Sherrill just before 9:30, when she was leading with 58% of the vote.

This story will be updated throughout the night as returns come in from across the state. We already have a preview of early-voting results below.

Election Day starts with bomb threats

Voting got off to a tense start after bomb threats forced relocations at polling sites in seven counties — including Bergen, Essex, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, and Passaic.

Authorities say all threats were determined to be hoaxes, but the incidents caused confusion and brief delays in some districts.

“We will not tolerate any attempts to interfere with our elections, and we will swiftly hold accountable anyone who seeks to interfere with the safety or security of our electoral process,” Attorney General Matt Platkin said.

A high-stakes race

Ciattarelli, a Trump-backed former legislator from Somerset County, is hoping to flip the state red by appealing to voters frustrated with rising costs. Sherrill, a former Navy pilot and federal prosecutor representing a formerly Republican district in Morris County, has positioned herself as a check on Trump-era policies and vowed to fight for infrastructure funding and affordability.

What’s next

Turnout could prove decisive in what’s expected to be a tight race. Check back here for live updates, county-by-county results, and reactions from both campaigns.

2025 early voting count

Before Election Day, more than 1.29 million people had already voted in New Jersey through in-person early voting or mail-in ballots. According to analysis by VoteHub.com, 66.6% of the ballots were from registered Republicans, 68.5% were from registered Democrats and 46.9% were from unaffiliated or independent voters.

Mail-in ballots that have been returned (note that we have no way of knowing who these voters voted for. Their votes will be counted and added to the tallies after polls close.)

Registered Democratic voters: 359,367 — 62%
Registered Republican voters: 119,357 — 21%
Undeclared/independent voters: 100,323 — 17%

Voters who cast ballots during early voting (note that we have no way of knowing who these voters voted for. Their votes will be counted and added to the tallies after polls close.)

Registered Democratic: 301,067— 42%
Registered Republican 251,191 — 35%
Undeclared/independent voters: 164,805 — 23%

2021 results for comparison