What began as a raucous pair of primaries concluded quietly on Tuesday, with Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill and Republican former state Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli easily advancing to the general election in New Jersey’s open gubernatorial contest.
Sherrill, 53, secured widespread support from county party operatives in North Jersey and ran on her background as a former Navy helicopter pilot and four-term congresswoman. Though her win was hardly a landslide — she earned just 34% of the primary vote — she benefited from a broadly palatable background that proved tough for opponents to tarnish. Sherrill was notably the lone woman in the mix, a significant asset in a party where a majority of voters are female.
The field’s two most progressive candidates, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, placed second and third in the primary with 20% and 16%, respectively. The duo both accused Sherrill of being too cozy with the state’s political machine, but they hindered each other by competing for a similar slice of the electorate. Baraka received some late attention after being arrested while
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