Post Election Reaction & Analysis

2025 general elections

And it wasn’t even close.

Democrat Mikie Sherrill won the race to succeed Gov. Phil Murphy in an utterly dominant fashion, beating Republican Jack Ciattarelli by 13 points statewide, 56% to 43%, and blowing past all but the most optimistic Democratic predictions

David wieldstein: The polls were way off and created an impression of a race that wasn't there sherrill one by 13+ points she won the swing towns which was natural for new Jersey 

Ciattarelli received 122,000 more total votes than he got in 2021.

He got more votes than Murphy received when he won re-election.

Sherrill got 450k more votes than Murphy.

-NJ1015: Ciattarelli, needed big turnout by Republicans and scores of unaffiliated voters to vote for him to have a path to victory. He didn't get either one.

Ciattarelli underperformed is every New Jersey county compared to his close run against Phil Murphy four years ago.

Republicans failed to get behind early voting efforts allowing Democrats to run up the score and go into Election Day with a better than 300,000 vote advantage.

In counties critical to a GOP victory like Ocean, Monmouth and Morris, Ciattarelli needed to win big. He did not.

Women and independent voters,broke in large numbers for Sherrill.

- NYT: New Jersey, Democrat Mikie Sherrill defeated Republican Jack Ciattarelli by energizing the Democratic base, winning big in suburban counties like Bergen, Middlesex, and Union, and boosting margins in urban areas such as Hudson and Essex. Ciattarelli’s Trump-backed strategy faltered, especially after Trump announced the termination of the $16 billion Gateway Hudson River tunnel project, which Sherrill used to rally voters concerned about vital infrastructure.

- Trump reacts :“And last night it was a, you know, not expected to be a victory. It was very Democrat areas, but I don't think it was good for Republicans. I don't think it was good. I'm not sure it was good for anybody. But we had an interesting evening and we learned a lot

 - Lakewood voter turnout was  down 7.2 points  from last year which was a presidential election 

From 2023 to 2025, Lakewood gained 5,808 registered voters, a 9.8% increase.

 Lakewood election:

Ned Thompson’s strong showing of 15,000+ votes in Lakewood reflects more than just party-line support. Many voters expressed frustration over broken tuition promises, while voter fatigue and feelings of disenfranchisement kept roughly 40% of residents from voting at all. Lakewood is also missing thousands of potential voters adults who never registered despite being eligible. On social media, residents have shared their sense that their daily struggles with parnassa and overall well-being are ignored, yet come election day, they are told how and whom to vote for while feeling neglected the rest of the year. Additionally, while Lakewood overwhelmingly supported Ciattarelli, time will tell whether Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill will seek to strengthen her relationship with the Lakewood community. Improved engagement could help address critical needs, including infrastructure, educational funding, and other communal resources.

On social media, some anti-Semitic references attempted to blame Scott Presler’s get-out-the-vote campaign highlighting Orthodox Jewish voters in Lakewood for the election results.

Following Ciattarelli’s loss, several divrei chizuk emphasized that the most important factor was the hishtadlus the community’s effort while the outcome itself is ultimately in Hashem’s hands. Speakers highlighted the achdus, noting that mobilizing the entire community and surrounding towns to vote for a candidate was a remarkable achievement in itself, regardless of the election result.

-Lakewood Township Voter Turnout

2025

Registered Voters: 64,803

Ballots Cast: 38,800

Turnout: 59.8%

2024

Registered Voters: 63,644

Ballots Cast: 42,681

Turnout: 67%

2023

Registered Voters: 58,995

Ballots Cast: 26,910

Turnout: 46%

2025 Lakewood voting numbers

Total votes cast 38,800 that is a turnout of  59.8%  out of of 64,803 registered voters

- Lakewood for Governor 

Jack Ciattarelli 34,930   90%

 Mikie Sherill 3,777         9%

- Lakewood Assembly a total of  72 101 votes were cast 

Avi Schnall 30,793     42.7%

Ned Thompson 15,349   21.29%

Sean Kean 22, 162         30.7%

joanne Debenedictis 3679

Avi Schnall received about 79.4% of the actual votes cast in Lakewood which was 38800. but 47.5% of all registered voters in Lakewood. (64k voters)

Ned Thompson received about 39.6% of the votes cast  23.7% of all registered voters in Lakewood.

NJ Assembly  total both Monmouth and Ocean counties:

 Sean Kean  48,244   31.6%,

Avi Schnall  45,792     30%.

Ned Thompsn  39,797

joanne Debenedictis 18,981 

-Community leader Rabbi Abe Friedman, law enforcement chaplain in NY and NJ  was at NJ  Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill  Election Night victory party.

- Chris Pollack wins in Jackson

Post-win statement from Elliott Shem-Tov, Team Pollak Campaign Manager:

I would like to Thank everyone on our team that made it possible to get Chris Pollak over the finish line. The establishment was relentless and at times unfair, but we persevered. The question is how did we win by a landslide…..I’ll tell you, WE SHOWED UP and created a mandate and a movement. Now we shift from campaigning to governing. It’s time to get Jackson on the right path and make Jackson the best it can be.  (Faa)

- The Jersey City mayoral race is headed for a runoff next month between City Councilman James Solomon  and former New Jersey Governor jim mcgreevey

- Jewish FDNY commissioner hands in resignation morning after anti-Israel Zohran Mamdani elected mayor

- NYP editorial how republicans move ahead: The GOP's path to victory in next year’s midterms is to highlight the radical policies that Democrats, like Sherrill and Spanberger, have downplayed. Issues include extreme social policies, DEI initiatives, and efforts that harm U.S. energy production under the guise of fighting climate change. By focusing on competent, sensible governance, Republicans can remind voters that Democratic leadership has brought negative consequences, potentially securing a fresh mandate.

- Post Election Message to the Flatbush Community from the FJCC:

Our community stood strong in the face of significant challenges. With unity and purpose, your extraordinary turnout well over 50,000 votes from Midwood, Flatbush, Madison, Marine Park, Gravesend, and surrounding areas was a true demonstration of heart and mesiras nefesh, a statement of strength and commitment that no outcome can erase.

We made our hishtadlus, following the guidance of our Rabbonim. With their direction, we will, im yirtzeh Hashem, continue to advocate, protect, and uphold the values and needs of our families and our future. When we are united, there is so much we can accomplish.

As we respectfully accept the law and its results, we pray that Hashem grant the new administrations citywide, nationally, and globally the wisdom, compassion, and benevolence to treat our communities with respect and sensitivity.

With emunah we affirm: Kol ma d’avid Rachmana l’tav avid. Hashem has carried us before, and He will continue to watch over us.

הנה לא ינום ולא יישן שומר ישראל

- Speaker Johnson criticized Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer for supporting Zohran Mamdani, saying America’s top Jewish leader “flirted with endorsing an anti-Semite all the way to the bitter end.”

- California Voters Pass Proposition 50, Overriding Redistricting Commission for Democratic Maps allowing the Democratic-led legislature to draw congressional district maps through 2030 and potentially adding up to five Democratic seats for the 2026 midterms. 

- Itamar Ben-Gvir, the Israeli national security minister from the far-right Jewish Power party, called Mr. Mamdani “a Hamas supporter, an Israel hater and an outspoken antisemite.”

- And Amichai Chikli, an Israeli minister whose portfolio includes the Jewish diaspora and combating antisemitism, suggested that New York’s new mayor was “someone whose positions are not far removed from the jihadist fanatics who murdered 3,000 of its people” in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.“New York is walking with open eyes into the abyss into which London has plunged,” he wrote on social media, alluding to the Muslim mayor of the British capital, Sadiq Khan.

“The Big Apple has fallen,” Avigdor Liberman, the leader of a right-wing opposition party and former foreign minister, said through a spokesman. He urged “New York Jews who want to survive” to emigrate “to where they belong — the land of Israel.”

- VP JD Vance:

I think it's idiotic to overreact to a couple of elections in blue states, but a few thoughts:

1) Scot Pressler, TPUSA, and a bunch of others have been working hard to register voters. I said it in 2022, and I've said it repeatedly since: our coalition is "lower propensity" and that means we have to do better at turning out voters than we have in the past.

2) We need to focus on the home front. The president has done a lot that has already paid off in lower interest rates and lower inflation, but we inherited a disaster from Joe Biden and Rome wasn't built in a day. We're going to keep on working to make a decent life affordable in this country, and that's the metric by which we'll ultimately be judged in 2026 and beyond.

3) The infighting is stupid. I care about my fellow citizens--particularly young Americans--being able to afford a decent life, I care about immigration and our sovereignty, and I care about establishing peace overseas so our resources can be focused at home. If you care about those things too, let's work together.