Governor 2025 all comes down to this: Mikie Sherrill, Democrat, versus Jack Ciattarelli, Republican. InsiderNJ reporters are in the field harvesting information about today's historic contest.

Polling places are open from 6 a.m. until 8 p.m. on Election Day. To find your polling site, please go HERE.

Who effectively made the change agent case to voters?

Sherrill, who wants to freeze energy costs on day one of her administration and fight the Trump agenda, or Ciattarelli, who wants to rid Drumthwacket of Democratic Party rule after eight years and work with Trump, his party ally.

“Jack Ciattarelli and Winsome Earle-Sears are so out of touch with voters in New Jersey and Virginia that they’re inviting America’s least-popular President to stump for them just hours before polls open on Election Day," said DNC Communications Director Rosemary Boeglin, in the closing days of the campaign cycle. "Trump has skyrocketed costs, killed jobs, and put billionaires above working families — the exact same losing agenda that Ciattarelli and Earle-Sears are trying and failing to run on. New Jerseyans and Virginians deserve leaders like Mikie Sherrill and Abigail Spanberger who follow through on their promises to bring down costs and put working families first — not extreme Trump loyalists who are more focused on delivering for Trump and billionaires than the people they are running to represent.”

"Today’s election is a turning point for New Jersey’s future,” said RNC Chairman Joe Gruters. “Mikie Sherrill fought against tax cuts and lower costs for New Jersey families, all while getting rich trading stocks in Congress. Today, voters can reject her record of higher taxes and broken promises. Jack Ciattarelli will lead with common sense, fight for working families, and lower taxes for every New Jerseyan. Every Republican in New Jersey should get out today, vote, and help elect Jack as governor.”

According to VoteHub, coming into today, Nov. 4th, Democrats had a nearly 290K advantage over Republicans in mailed in ballots:

What impact will President Donald J. Trump and the federal government shutdown have on the outcome today?

Consider the national landscape spawned by his policies - and its particular impact here in New Jersey, where the DOJ arrested a sitting member of Congress, and ICE continues to conduct aggressive raids. Note that half of Americans say the Trump administration is not committed to protecting Americans’ rights and freedoms, according to an ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll conducted using Ipsos’ KnowledgePanel.

Additionally, majorities say President Donald Trump is not committed to protecting freedom of the press (61%), freedom of speech (57%), a fair criminal justice system (56%) or free and fair elections (56%). About half say he is not committed to protecting freedom of religion (49%). A 73% majority, though, say he is committed to protecting freedom to own firearms, according to the poll.

Via Politico:

While virtually all polls show Trump’s approval rating underwater in New Jersey, it’s not as low as it was in his first term. And in several, his popularity is roughly the same as [departing New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy’s (in at least one recent poll the Democratic governor was significantly more unpopular than Trump).

Both parties' candidates will have had to break through significant voter anxieties, especially regarding the economy, to connect and motivate voters to the polls today.

A poll this morning from Rutgers-Eagleton shows New Jersey voters giving subpar ratings to both the state and national economies and a growing share saying they have difficulty affording basic necessities.

Nearly 7 in 10 likely voters view the national economy negatively: Thirty-seven percent describe it as “poor” and 32% say “only fair.” Twenty-five percent say it is “good” and 5% say “excellent.”

Seven in 10 voters also view New Jersey’s economy negatively, with 28% describing it as “poor” and 42% as “only fair.” Twenty-six percent say the state economy is “good” and 2% say “excellent.”

“For most New Jerseyans, pessimism continues to permeate their views on both the state and national economies,” said Ashley Koning, an assistant research professor and director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. “This negativity about the economic and political landscape is rooted in personal, daily experiences. When half of voters say they struggle to afford basics like groceries or utilities, and they’re worse off than their parents financially, it’s clear that affordability remains the defining issue in this race and a central lens through which voters are viewing this year’s gubernatorial election.”

A majority of likely voters give both the national and state economies negative ratings, regardless of gender, race and ethnicity, age, income, and education.

Republicans (60%) are more likely than other partisans to rate the national economy positively (60%). Majorities of independents (75%) and Democrats (92%), on the other hand, rate it negatively. Majorities of Republicans (83%) and independents (74%) view the state economy negatively, while Democrats are split – 46% rate it as “excellent” or “good,” and 52% say it is “only fair” or “poor.”

More than half of voters say the national economy is worse now compared with a year ago (53%). Fifteen percent say it is about the same and 32% say it is better. Nearly half say New Jersey’s economy also has gotten worse over the last year (49%). Forty-three percent say it is “about the same” and 5% say it has gotten better.

Most Republicans say the national economy has gotten better (70%), while most independents (59%) and Democrats (88%) say it has gotten worse. Half of Republicans say the state economy has gotten worse. Views on the state economy are more mixed: Among Democrats, 50% say it is doing about the same while 45% say worse, 52% of independents say worse while 42% say it is doing the same and 50% of Republicans say worse while 38% say it is about the same.

Who did a better job convincing New Jerseyans of his or her vision?

Sherrill? Or Ciattarelli?

In addition, voters today will decide who the next mayor is in Jersey City and Hoboken. All 80 Assembly people are on the ballot, too, with especially competitive contests in LD-3 and LD-8.