Every county in one blue state shifts further left in 2025 governor race despite GOP hopes

Mikie Sherrill makes history as first Democratic woman elected New Jersey governor

Fox News’ Bryan Llenas joins ‘Fox News @ Night’ to break down Democrat Mikie Sherrill’s win over Republican Jack Ciattarelli, her victory speech calling out President Donald Trump, and how Ciattarelli's campaign fell short.

Every county in New Jersey shifted further to the left during the high-stakes 2025 gubernatorial election when compared to the 2021 race, according to post-election data. 

New Jersey Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill emerged victorious in her campaign to serve as the Garden State's top leader, defeating Republican candidate Jack Ciattatrrelli, who also ran as the GOP's gubernatorial nominee in 2021. 

The election was highly anticipated following the 2024 federal election, which showed the deep blue state move closer to the right as voters increasingly voted for President Donald Trump — though not enough for the state overall to flip red. Trump saw five counties flip red, and narrowed his 2020 losses in the state from 16 points to six points in 2024.

The inroads gave hope to Republicans in the state that voters could move toward Ciattarelli, but post-election data shows voters overall shifted further to the left in 2025. 

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Every county in New Jersey shifted further to the left in the 2025 gubernatorial election compared to the 2021 election, according to post-election data. (Gabby Jones/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The 2021 gubernatorial election teed up a battle between incumbent Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy and Ciattarelli in his second campaign for Drumthwacket, the official residence of the New Jersey governor. Murphy earned 51.2% of the vote that year, compared to Ciattarelli's 48% support. 

In 2025, Sherrill earned 56.5% of the total 3,256,410 votes cast compared to Ciattarelli's 42.8%. 

Fox News Digital took a look at the New Jersey counties that recorded the biggest shifts, including in counties that historically have been more conservative. 

Along the Jersey Shore, where voters frequently lean more to the right, Monmouth County saw a roughly 10-point shift to the left compared to the 2021 election, with Ciattarelli securing 54% of the total votes in 2025 compared to winning 58.8% of the vote in 2021, Associated Press election data shows. While nearby Ocean County saw a 1.4 point margin shift in 2025 toward the Democrats. 

New Jersey candidates for governor Mikie Sherrill and Jack Ciattarelli (Reuters)

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New Jersey is home to 21 counties, which stretch from small city jurisdictions nestled in New York City's backyard, to neighborhoods of sprawling mansions and vast farmlands that bookend the state in the north and south. 

Each of the counties saw a shift to the left, with Sussex County in the most northern portion of the state seeing a 16.2 point shift, according to the Associated Press' data. Sussex County is another county that historically leans to the right, and saw Ciattarelli earn 66.8% of the total vote in 2021, falling to 59.2% in 2025. 

President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign town hall, Oct. 14, 2024, in Oaks, Pennsylvania, during his presidential campaign. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Cumberland County, located in South Jersey, also saw a 16.2 margin shift benefiting Democrats compared to the 2021 gubernatorial election, according to the Associated Press' data. The 2021 election saw 55.6% of its voters support the Republican ticket, but dropped to 47.6% in 2025, delivering Sherrill a win in the coastal county. 

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Gov. Phil Murphy delivers the State of the State Address at the State House in Trenton, New Jersey, on Jan. 10, 2023. (Aristide Economopoulos/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

When comparing the 2025 gubernatorial election to the 2024 federal election, five counties flipped back to the Democrats. Trump flipped Gloucester, Cumberland, Atlantic, Morris and Passaic just over a year ago, but each of those counties voted for Sherill in 2025. 

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The New Jersey election cycle was one of just a handful of high-profile campaigns during the off-year cycle, with Democrats also winning Virginia's gubernatorial election, and socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani elected as the next mayor of New York City. The 2025 elections are viewed as a bellwether for the 2026 midterms, when the political party holding the White House typically loses seats in Congress.