(TRENTON, N.J.) — As New Jersey’s 2025 election for governor — one of only two being held in the country this year — approaches, the candidates are grappling with whether the race is a bellwether for how voters feel about President Donald Trump , the upcoming battle for the U.S. House in the 2026 midterms, and the more general national sentiment against incumbent leaders.

In other words: as goes the Garden State, so goes the nation?

“All eyes in the United States are going to be on New Jersey. This looks like the most competitive race, certainly of one of magnitude in the country,” Daniel Bowen, a political science professor at The College of New Jersey, told ABC News.

On the Republican ticket, former state Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli is making a third try for the office and hopes t

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