Jack Ciattarelli will win the Republican gubernatorial primary in New Jersey, according to a projection from the CNN Decision Desk. His victory was propelled by President Donald Trump’s endorsement and sets him up for another chance at leading the Garden State after losing narrowly four years ago.

Ciattarelli on Wednesday immediately headed to voters who have long been part of the Democratic base, visiting a bakery in heavily Hispanic Dover, in Morris County, as his first stop. In the 2024 election, Hispanic voters in North Jersey drove much of the state’s shift toward Trump.

Republican Jack Ciattarelli will face Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill in November in a race that will be an early indicator of the country's political mood in Trump's second term.

Polls in the New Jersey primary for governor have officially closed Tuesday night, as of 8 p.m. The candidates on the Democratic and Republican side of the aisle are all hoping to make the November general election ballot for a chance to succeed Gov.

Democrats will choose a nominee for New Jersey governor from among six prominent candidates, including two big-city mayors, two members of Congress and two union leaders. With a redesigned ballot intended to give all candidates a fair shot, it is the first race in decades that was not largely predetermined by local party leaders.

Ciattarelli, the Republican nominee, won Tuesday’s primary with Trump’s endorsement, but he’s now shifting his focus to the Democrats running state government.

New Jersey voters will select their nominees for governor on Tuesday, testing the direction of the Democratic and Republican parties in a state that shifted towards President Donald Trump in the 2024 election.