Poll: Trump Looms Large Over NJ Governor's Race

By Sam Barron From Daily Voice

President Donald Trump is a "major factor" in the New Jersey governor's race, a majority said in a new Rutgers poll.

Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-NJ, leads her Republican challenger Jack Ciattarelli, 50% to 45%, according to the new Rutgers-Eagleton poll. Sherrill and Ciattarelli are running to replace Democrat Gov. Phil Murphy, who is term limited.

Independents are divided, with 49% supporting Sherrill and 40% for Ciattarelli. 

Sherill continues to have a commanding lead with women, 58% to 37%, while Ciattarelli leads with men, 53% to 40%.

Ciattarelli leads with white voters, 53% to 46%, while Sherrill has a big lead with nonwhite voters, 59% to 29%. 

The poll found 52% of voters believe the president is a "major factor" in their vote for governor while 34% say he isn't a major factor at all. Democrats, 78%, were more likely to say Trump was a major factor compared to Republicans, 38% and independents, 42%.

Sherrill has made the president the centerpiece of her campaign, consistently attacking Ciattarelli for having Trump's endorsement.

 At a gubernatorial debate, Ciattarelli said he would give Trump's presidency an 'A', but demurred when asked if he was part of the MAGA movement, saying he was part of the New Jersey movement. Sherrill said she would give Trump an 'F'.

While New Jersey is considered a "blue state", Trump earned 46% of the state's vote in the 2024 presidential election, the best performance by a Republican candidate since 2004.

A recent Quinnipiac poll had Sherril leading Ciattarelli 50% to 44%, while a poll from Change NJ, a PAC supporting Ciattarelli had Sherrill leading 47% to 44%.

The Rutgers poll surveyed 795 likely voters contacted via live calling and texting from Oct. 3 to Oct. 17. This likely voter sample has a margin of error of +/- 4.7 percentage points.