New Jersey Republican gubernatorial candidate, Jack Ciattarelli (L), and New Jersey Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mikie Sherrill
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Non-credible bomb threats were made to numerous polling places in New Jersey on Tuesday morning, causing some voters to be redirected to other sites to cast their ballots, state officials said.
The threats were sent by email as Garden State voters headed to the polls to decide whether to elect Democratic candidate Mikie Sherrill or Republican challenger Jack Ciattarelli as their next governor.
Sherrill called the threats “a clear attempt to undermine our democratic system and intimidate New Jerseyans from going to the polls to exercise their right to vote.”
Polling locations in Bergen, Essex, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean and Passaic Counties received threats, Attorney General Matt Platkin said in a statement posted on X.
“Some of these polling locations have already reopened to the public. At others, voters will be directed to a nearby polling location to cast their ballot,” Platkin said.
Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way, in a separate statement, said, “Earlier today, bomb threats were made to several polling sites. Law enforcement has determined there are no credible threats at this time.”
“We are doing everything in our power to protect voters and poll workers and encourage every eligible voter to exercise their right to vote.”
The race — one of just two U.S. gubernatorial elections this year — is seen as a bellwether for how President Donald Trump’s all-consuming presence is affecting support for Republicans nationally.
The result also could help shape the electoral landscape for the 2026 midterms, when Democrats hope to retake control of at least one chamber of Congress.
The former U.S. Navy helicopter pilot Sherrill has represented New Jersey’s 11th congressional district in the House of Representatives since 2019.
Ciattarelli is a businessman who has run for governor twice before.
New Jersey Democratic gubernatorial candidate, U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), speaks to the media after casting her vote on November 4, 2025 in Montclair, New Jersey.
Eduardo Munoz Alvarez | Getty Images News | Getty Images
The race’s winner will succeed current Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat who is finishing his second and final term.
While Democrats far outnumber Republicans in New Jersey, some polls leading up to Tuesday’s election showed a neck-and-neck race between the candidates.
But early voting totals before Election Day showed Democrats building a solid turnout advantage, according to DecisionDeskHQ Data Science Director Michael Pruser.
Trump lost New Jersey to Democratic nominee Kamala Harris in the 2024 election. But he drew a larger share of the vote than he had received in the 2016 election, partly by making inroads with the state’s Latino communities.
Sherrill courted those voters, who have traditionally favored Democrats, in part by speaking Spanish on the campaign trail and in TV ads.
She has also run a campaign centered on affordability, hewing to Democrats’ broader messaging strategy.
“Vote Here Today” signage outside a polling location at Hillside Elementary School in Montclair, New Jersey, US, on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025.
John Lamparski | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Ciattarelli, whom Trump endorsed, ran a campaign that echoed much of the president’s MAGA agenda.
The election comes in the middle of a protracted federal government shutdown, for which Americans blame Republicans and Trump more than Democrats, polls show.
Both candidates raised over $20 million and spent nearly $17 million heading into the final stretch of the race.
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Despite suffering demoralizing losses in 2024 and grappling with persistently low approval ratings, Democrats have reasons to be optimistic about the 2026 cycle.
Trump’s approval ratings have fallen precipitously since the start of his term and are lower than where they stood at this point in his first term, according to multiple polls.
Anti-Trump sentiment has been a galvanizing force for Democrats in the past and present, notably at the recent “No Kings” protests that drew millions of participants across the country.
This is developing news. Please check back for updates.
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