The race for New Jersey governor has reached a fever pitch as Election Day approaches, with Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill and Republican Jack Ciattarelli locked in a contest that’s as much about the state’s future as it is about the cultural and political divides playing out across the country. Over the past week, both candidates have crisscrossed the state, zeroing in on key voting blocs, clashing over policy and personal accusations, and facing scrutiny over the direction of the state’s education and social climate.
At the heart of the campaign is a fierce battle for Latino voters, a group that constitutes nearly 22% of New Jersey’s population and holds outsized sway in pivotal counties like Passaic, where Latinos make up roughly 43% of residents—the highest share in the state, according to CNN. The stakes are high: in the 2024 presidential election, Donald Trump flipped Passaic County from a 16-point loss to Joe Biden in 2020 to a nearly 3-point win over then-Vice President Kamala Harris, signaling a seismic shift in the political landscape.
Sherrill, aiming to reverse Trump’s gains, has made the Latino community central to her campaign. During a rally in Paterson, she told supporters, “Remember, this state is not red. It is not purple. It is blue.” Her campaign has focused on economic issues that resonate with Latino families—reducing utility costs, investing in small businesses, and tackling rising rents. Patricia Campos-Medina, vice chair of Sherrill’s campaign, told CNN, “This is a getting-voters-out election at this moment.”
Ciattarelli, meanwhile, is working to build on the momentum Trump generated among Latino voters. He campaigned in Clifton with Republican Puerto Rico Governor Jenniffer González-Colón and received endorsements from Latino pastors in Paterson. “It’s time!” Ciattarelli declared to a mostly Latino crowd, promising, “I want you to continue to grow. I want you to continue to prosper, and that’s what my governorship is all about for every one of our minority communities.” He emphasized his outreach efforts, telling CNN, “There’s 2 million Hispanic Americans that call New Jersey home. We’ve worked every minority community hard all across the state.”
The contest has also become a flashpoint for debates over education and cultural values. The New Jersey Education Association (NJEA), a 200,000-member teachers union and a powerful Democratic ally, has thrown its support behind Sherrill. The NJEA’s annual convention in Atlantic City, scheduled for October 29 and 30, 2025, will feature an event titled “Drag is not a Crime: The Past, Present, and Future of Drag,” celebrating drag culture’s role in activism and LGBTQ+ rights. According to the event description, the presentation “explores drag’s history, cultural significance, and future, showing how it serves as art, resistance, and activism—challenging norms, advancing LGBTQ+ rights, and promoting social justice and community.”
Other programs at the NJEA convention include “Beyond Awareness: Cultivating Equity Centered Schools through Action” and “Teaching Palestine,” reflecting the union’s broader focus on equity and justice. The NJEA Consortium describes itself as “on a mission to put diversity and representation at the forefront of curriculum development.”
Republican Jack Ciattarelli has seized on these events to criticize what he calls the union’s “extreme ‘woke’ agenda.” In a statement to The New York Post, his strategist Chris Russell said, “Drag might not be a crime, but looking the other way while 80% of third graders in some of New Jersey’s schools can’t read at grade level should be.” Russell continued, “The NJEA and far-left politicians like Mikie Sherrill could care less about education or teachers. The NJEA’s core mission is preserving political power, pushing an extreme ‘woke’ agenda on young children, and propping up out-of-touch politicians like Mikie Sherrill who vote against parental rights.” He added, “When Jack Ciattarelli is Governor, parents are back in charge and the NJEA is in timeout.”
The NJEA, led by former gubernatorial candidate Sean Spiller, has previously promoted drag-focused events at its conventions, including a 2022 “Drag Queen Story Hour” featuring Astala Vista and Vinchelle reading books like “I am Jazz,” which tells the story of a transgender child’s early struggles with gender identity.
As the campaign has heated up, so too have the personal attacks. On October 28, Ciattarelli announced plans to sue Sherrill over her claim that he contributed to the deaths of “tens of thousands of New Jerseyans” during the opioid crisis, calling it a “baseless, reckless lie” on Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom.” Ciattarelli received regulatory approval to proceed with the lawsuit just one day earlier. The dispute stems from Sherrill’s accusation during the final debate that Ciattarelli “made his millions” by “working with some of the worst offenders and saying that opioids were safe,” and that he was paid to develop an app that made it easier for patients to access opioids. “As he made millions, as these opioid companies made billions, tens of thousands of New Jerseyans died,” Sherrill said.
Ciattarelli fired back, accusing Sherrill of ignoring the fentanyl crisis linked to illegal immigration under the Biden administration. Sherrill’s campaign communications director, Sean Higgins, responded, “Jack’s reaction is to hide behind a lawsuit, not to take responsibility. What’s reckless and irresponsible is Jack Ciattarelli making millions of dollars profiting off the pain of New Jerseyans—publishing misinformation about the dangers of opioid addiction and developing an app to coach patients to ask doctors for more drugs.” Higgins added, “He is clearly unfit to lead and protect this state, and owes the people of New Jersey answers.”
Sherrill doubled down on her claims during a press conference about the opioid epidemic, stating, “So you heard it, Jack made millions. The opioid companies made billions, and thousands of New Jerseyans were dying.” When pressed by reporters, she said, “I think we’ve laid out the case that Jack is complicit with these opioid companies, in league with these opioid companies.”
Meanwhile, the race is drawing national attention for its potential implications on the future of both parties. The Department of Justice announced it will monitor polling sites in Passaic County during the November 4 election, responding to GOP allegations of vote-by-mail fraud. New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin, who leads the state’s voter protection initiative, criticized the DOJ’s move as “highly inappropriate” and said his office is “considering all of our options to prevent any effort to intimidate voters or interfere with our election.”
For many voters, the decision comes down to a mix of economic anxiety, cultural identity, and a desire for effective leadership. Leonardo Pomales, a Passaic resident and first-time gubernatorial voter, told CNN he chose Ciattarelli because “the taxes, the electric bills and the schools, that’s very important to me.” Others, like Jennifer Suarez, a Democrat from Clifton, said she was “disappointed” to see the Latino community shift toward Trump, emphasizing her support for immigrants and a better future for her family.
As the final days of campaigning unfold, New Jersey’s gubernatorial race stands as a microcosm of the nation’s deepening political divides—and the outcome could offer a preview of where the country is headed next.
