Jack Ciattarelli, who came close to unseating Gov. Phil Murphy (D-NJ) in 2021, is once again in a competitive position as he now trails Democrat Mikie Sherrill by the same margin in a new poll.
Ciattarelli emerged as the Republican nominee after winning the June 10 primary, a campaign boosted by an endorsement from President Donald Trump in May. He now moves into the general election with unified support from GOP voters and an early edge among key swing demographics.
The survey, conducted by National Research Inc. on June 11–12 among 600 likely voters, shows Sherrill with 45 percent support and Ciattarelli at 42 percent, with 12 percent of voters still undecided. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
Ciattarelli, who narrowly lost to Murphy in 2021 by just over 3 points (51.22 percent to 48.00 percent), enters the general election in a similarly tight contest.
The data reflects dissatisfaction among New Jersey voters, with 54 percent of respondents saying the state is on the wrong track. Ciattarelli leads decisively among those voters, capturing 72 percent support compared to Sherrill’s 14 percent.
He also holds a lead among unaffiliated voters (44 percent to 36 percent) and is tied with Sherrill among working- and middle-class voters. Sherrill performs better with higher-income groups, maintaining leads among upper-middle and upper-class respondents.
Ciattarelli’s general consultant, Chris Russell, stated, “Mikie Sherrill tripling her net worth in Congress via millions of dollars in stock trades — for which she broke federal law and was fined — is a major issue with key groups that will have a big say in deciding the election. Her disastrous ‘Breakfast Club’ interview is already being featured on a Ciattarelli campaign website and web ads detailing news reports on the issue.”
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