Americans across the United States are heading to the polls Tuesday – including in a few states with pivotal elections that many political observers see as an early referendum on the second Trump administration.
New Jersey
Polling shows Democratic U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill is leading in a close race against Republican Jack Ciattarelli, a three-time candidate for governor. Observers have pointed to similarities between Ms. Sherrill in New Jersey and Ms. Spanberger in Virginia – both are politically moderate women with backgrounds in national security.
As in Virginia, affordability is a top issue in the New Jersey race, particularly in terms of rising housing and electricity costs. Ms. Sherrill says she will declare a state of emergency upon taking office and freeze utility costs for a year, while Mr. Ciattarelli’s plans include capping property taxes and vetoing pet projects in the state budget. Ms. Sherrill has also sought to paint her Trump-endorsed opponent as being unwilling to stand up to the president.
“If Ciattarelli wins, it means that local New Jersey issues were prevalent because that’s how he’s running,” says Julia Sass Rubin, director of the public policy program at Rutgers-New Brunswick. If Ms. Sherrill wins, it would reflect “her success in making it a national race.”
New Jersey has historically been a blue state. But in the last presidential election, Democratic candidate Kamala Harris won there by less than 6 percentage points, a much closer margin than in previous presidential cycles.
“By all indications, it will be a fairly close race,” says Dr. Rubin.
The Monitor took a closer look at the New Jersey contest over the weekend.