New Jersey Gubernatorial Race Tied Between Sherrill and Ciattarelli

A recent Emerson College Polling/PIX11/The Hill survey indicates a deadlock in New Jersey's gubernatorial race, with Democratic candidate Mikie Sherrill and Republican Jack Ciattarelli each garnering 43% support among voters; 11% remain undecided.

Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, highlighted demographic trends: "Young voters, under 40, break for Sherrill by large margins, 58% to 24%. The race tightens to seven points among voters in their 40s, with Sherrill leading 47% to 40%, then Ciattarelli flips the script among voters over 50, leading Sherrill 52% to 36% among this group."

A gender divide is also evident: "Women break for Sherrill by ten points, 46% to 36%, while men break for Ciattarelli by 12 points, 51% to 39%. Notably, women are over twice as likely to be undecided at 15% compared to 6% of men," Kimball added.

Governor Phil Murphy's approval rating stands at 35%, with 44% disapproving and 21% neutral. President Donald Trump holds a 41% approval and 51% disapproval rating; 9% are neutral.

Regarding the next governor's relationship with the Trump administration, 51% of voters prefer they stand up to the administration, while 49% prefer they work with it. Since May, sentiment has shifted: those wanting the next governor to stand up to Trump increased from 47% to 51%, and those preferring collaboration decreased from 53% to 49%.

Economic concerns top voters' issues, with 51% citing the economy as the primary concern, followed by threats to democracy (13%), housing affordability (11%), healthcare (6%), immigration policy (5%), and crime (5%).

On property tax rates, 21% attribute responsibility to the governor, 15% to the state legislature, 10% to town governments, 6% to local school districts, and 46% believe all these groups share responsibility.

Regarding utility costs, 30% blame utility companies, 22% the governor, 7% the federal government, and 4% the grid operator; 35% think all these are responsible. Kimball noted: "New Jersey Democrats blame utility companies for the cost of utilities at 36%, whereas Republicans blame Governor Murphy at 36% — independents are split between the governor (27%) and utility companies (23%)."

Additionally, 46% of voters support their school district merging with another to reduce costs, while 22% oppose, and 32% are neutral or have no opinion. Opposition is higher among parents of children aged 3 to 18 at 37%, compared to 17% of non-parents in this age group.

The Emerson College Polling New Jersey survey was conducted September 22-23, 2025, with a sample of 935 somewhat/very likely voters and a credibility interval of +/- 3.1 percentage points.