On November 4, 2025, New Jersey’s political landscape shifted dramatically as Mikie Sherrill, a former Navy pilot and U.S. Representative, secured a resounding victory in the state’s gubernatorial race. Her triumph, by a double-digit margin over Republican Jack Ciattarelli, wasn’t just a personal achievement—it set off a domino effect that is rippling through the state and beyond, inspiring a new wave of women veterans to seek public office and cementing the influence of Black faith communities and energized Democratic voters statewide.
Just six days after the election, more than 140 Black church and faith community leaders joined Rev. Dr. Charles F. Boyer and his Salvation and Social Justice team for a post-election strategy call. The mood was celebratory, but the conversation quickly turned to the future. “Let me just say, sisters and brothers, that I am personally overjoyed and indebted to all of you on this call and many more who heard thoroughly, I think, the clarion call to make sure that the encroachment of Donald Trump and the MAGA movement did not make its way to State Street,” Rev. Boyer began, according to Salvation and Social Justice. He emphasized the paramount importance of safety and well-being for their communities, and the need for continued activism.
The numbers behind Sherrill’s win were striking. As Rev. Derrick L. Green of the Interfaith Action Movement pointed out during the call, “Forty-seven percent of the white community in New Jersey gave their vote to Mikey Sherrill. She got 93.5% of the Black vote. And here’s the great stat: The other minority groups gave her about 70% of their vote. That’s how she was able to get the 12, 13-point lead.” According to an Associated Press Voter Poll of over 4,000 New Jersey voters, Sherrill won roughly seven out of ten nonwhite voters, underscoring the pivotal role of minority communities in her victory.
The Black faith community’s mobilization was particularly decisive. Endorsements from more than 200 Black ministers—who collectively reach about 300,000 constituents—helped drive turnout and solidify support for Sherrill and other Democratic candidates. This coalition, which had previously rallied behind Joe Biden and Governor Phil Murphy, once again delivered when it mattered most. Even as support from other demographic groups dipped in recent years, the steadfastness of Black voters proved crucial.
South Jersey, long a battleground with a history of Republican strength, saw a dramatic shift this cycle. Voter turnout soared, with approximately 700,500 ballots cast across seven counties—116,000 more than in the 2021 governor’s race, according to local county clerk reports cited by The Daily Journal. Sherrill finished ahead of Ciattarelli by about 99,300 votes in this region, winning big in Burlington and Camden counties, while Ciattarelli only managed to hold onto traditionally Republican Salem and Cape May counties.
Rutgers University professor Stephen Danley, director of the Center for Urban Research and Education, described the 2025 election as “a story of successful Democratic turnout.” He noted that Sherrill’s campaign “was able to appeal to independents by focusing on her bio with relatively few controversial positions, trusting on anti-Trump sentiment to drive turnout.” This approach, he argued, proved to be a proof-of-concept for appealing broadly while energizing key bases.
Statewide, Democrats outnumbered Republicans by a wide margin—2,526,872 registered Democrats compared to 1,673,469 Republicans, plus more than 2.3 million unaffiliated voters. Yet, Sherrill’s campaign refused to take anything for granted, treating New Jersey as a “swing state” and urging supporters to knock doors and make calls up to the very last minute. “Your time knocking doors, making phone calls, and rallying your communities made the difference,” State Democratic Committee Chairman LeRoy J. Jones Jr. said in a statement after the election.
Sherrill’s win also carried historic significance. She will become New Jersey’s second woman governor and the first Democrat to hold the post. More notably, as reported by the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) at Rutgers, she is the first woman military veteran to serve as a governor in the state’s history. The ripple effects of her victory were immediate and far-reaching.
Just days after the election, a new coalition of Democratic women veterans—calling themselves “The Hell Cats”—announced their campaigns for Congress in 2026. Inspired by Sherrill’s win, Maura Sullivan (New Hampshire), Rebecca Bennett (New Jersey), Cait Conley (New York), and JoAnna Mendoza (Arizona) are running on a platform of “courage, integrity and results.” The group’s name pays homage to the first all-female Marine unit that served in World War I, and their mission is to flip key House seats and build a new generation of service-driven leadership.
Rebecca Bennett, a former U.S. Navy helicopter pilot like Sherrill, is challenging U.S. Rep. Tom Kean Jr. in New Jersey’s 7th congressional district—a race political observers are already labeling a toss-up. Her campaign, which announced more than $1.35 million raised as of October, is focusing on health care and government accountability. “After stripping thousands of our neighbors of their health care, Tom Kean Jr. is now shutting the government down to stop Democrats from lowering health care costs, putting millions of Americans at risk of having their premiums more than double,” Bennett charged. “It’s time we said enough is enough of putting the politics of Washington above what’s best for our residents right here in New Jersey.”
Nationally, 2026 will see a record 14 women serving as governors—10 Democrats and four Republicans—matching a previous high. Sherrill’s election, along with other milestones such as Abigail Spanberger becoming Virginia’s first woman governor and Mary Sheffield becoming Detroit’s first woman and first Black woman mayor, signals a broader shift in American politics. “For too long, women candidates have had to prove both that they can win and that they should win,” said CAWP director Debbie Walsh. “In New Jersey and Virginia, voters have sent a clear message: we’re ready for women to lead.”
Back in New Jersey, the Black faith community and groups like Salvation and Social Justice are already looking ahead. Their legislative priorities include strengthening police accountability, supporting restorative justice for incarcerated elders, addressing disparities in Black maternal health outcomes, and securing state funding for more Freedom Schools. “We certainly needed to activate the Black faith community in terms of what the work and the assignment was,” Rev. Boyer reminded his colleagues, urging them to keep the momentum going.
As the dust settles from a historic election, the message from New Jersey is clear: when diverse coalitions organize, turn out, and demand representation, they can reshape the future—one vote, and one leader, at a time.
