President Donald Trump and Mikie Sherrill.

By Cecilia Levine From Daily Voice

The 2025 governor's race can calm Democrats nerves about New Jersey possibly turning red.

In the 2024 presidential election, President Donald Trump ran better than expected in the Garden State, earning 46% of the vote, the best numbers for a Republican since 2004. He flipped five counties from the 2020 presidential election, including reliably Democrat strongholds like Passaic County.

But Governer-elect Democrat Mikie Sherrill came roaring back, improving on Democrats 2024 numbers in every single county, and flipping back five counties Trump won in 2024. Overall, she defeated Republican challenger Jack Ciattarelli by 13 points, even though polling often showed her leading by single digits.

Passaic County, which voted for Trump 50% to 47%, swung wildly back to Sherrill, 57% to 42%, an 18-point shift, on the strength of Democrats improving its numbers with Latino voters. 

Bergen County was closer than expected in 2024, with Trump losing by only four points, but Sherrill dominated the affluent suburban county, with 55% of the vote. 

Though it remains a deep blue stronghold, Hudson County had the biggest swing from 2024 to 2025, shifting by 22 points in Sherrill's favor, winning by nearly 50 points.

Sherrill also improved by large margins in Middlesex and Union Counties, and also flipped Gloucester County, Cumberland County, Morris County and Atlantic County, en route to her dominant win.