Mikie Sherrill has won the 2025 race for governor of New Jersey, becoming the third Democratic winner in a string of nationally observed elections in Virginia and New York City that concluded Tuesday night.
The Associated Press called the race for Sherrill and her running mate, Dale Caldwell ’82, at 9:23 p.m. on Tuesday night. Their victory comes after a year of fierce battle with Republican opponent Jack Ciattarelli, who was also the Republican nominee for governor in 2021.
When Sherrill officially becomes governor in January, she will hold an ex officio position on the Princeton University Board of Trustees. In this position, she will have the same rights and responsibilities as the other board members, including her own vote in University decisions.
She will succeed eight-year Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, who has enjoyed a close relationship with Princeton University, specifically with the development of the New Jersey AI Hub.
During a gubernatorial debate in September, Ciattarelli had made remarks criticizing the state’s relationship with Princeton, believing the University funding should be fed to public schools like Rutgers and the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Sherrill, on the other hand, responded favorably to continuing the state-University partnership.
The ‘Prince’ spoke with Caldwell, Sherrill’s running mate, on Monday, prior to the election, about the campaign. Caldwell attributes his political ideology and current political position to Princeton and was all-in on Sherrill’s campaign to fight for higher education federal funding back.
In the interview, Caldwell said that alumni and activist Lawrence Hamm ’78, who led protests against South African apartheid, has been a source of inspiration for him regarding his and Sherrill’s work on being a voice for those communities without a voice.
As of Tuesday night, Sherrill has won with 56 percent of the vote statewide and 69.48 percent of the Mercer County vote, although further results will continue to be reported.
In a statement to The Daily Princetonian, University spokesperson Jennifer Morrill said that University is looking forward to work with Sherrill and welcoming her to the Board of Trustees.
“During any gubernatorial transition, our job is to monitor and learn what the priorities are for the incoming administration, highlight our shared vision and goals, and continue to illustrate the tremendous impact that Princeton and the higher education sector have on New Jersey and the region,” she wrote.
The Daily Princetonian has reached out to Sherrill’s press team for comment.
Outside of New Jersey, Zohran Mamdani (D) has won the New York City mayoral election, defeating former Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent, and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa. Democrat Abigail Spanberger has won the governor’s race for Virginia over Republican candidate Winsome Earle-Sears, making Spanberger the first female governor for the state.
Luke Grippo is an assistant News editor for the ‘Prince.’ He is from South Jersey, and typically covers University and town politics, on a national, regional, and local scale. He can be reached at lg5452[at]princeton.edu.
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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