A New Jersey Democratic, mayor Steven Fulop, has suggested that the Republican candidate for the state’s governor race Jack Ciattarelli could win in a post on social media.
The mayor of Jersey City shared a poll from the data solutions company AtlasIntel, conducted between October 25 to 30, showing that Ciattarelli was forecast to get 49.3 percent of the vote in the race, while his Democratic opponent Mikie Sherrill could get 50.2 percent.
He wrote: “This is prob great news for Jack’s team as we are a society that likes underdogs and comebacks by nature.”
Newsweek contacted Mikie Sherrill’s press team outside of regular working hours via email for comment.
Why It Matters
The governor race in New Jersey has been particularly close, with polls indicating it was a dead heat until Sherrill began increasing her lead over Ciattarelli, according to more recent forecasts.
A Suffolk University poll conducted on October 30 had Sherrill leading Ciattarelli with a 4-point lead, while a Quinnipiac University poll released on October 30 suggested that Sherrill had increased her previous lead of 6 points to 8.
A Fox News survey also had Sherrill ahead by 7 points in an October 24 to 28 survey, although an Emerson College poll, conducted between October 25 to 27, had her ahead by only 1.
What To Know
It is possible that Fulop is not Sherrill’s biggest fan, as in January this year Fulop’s campaign filed a complaint with the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC) alleging that Sherrill used money from previous campaigns to add to her campaign for governor.
“Mikie Sherrill and her campaign are misrepresenting her campaign finances,” his campaign wrote in the complaint, “As a sitting congresswoman, she has improperly used her federal account for the purpose of advantaging her statewide campaign for governor of New Jersey. This is unethical, illegal and in violation of ELEC’s Advisory Opinion No. 01-2023.”
The rule states that those running for governor must keep their campaign funds separate from funds generated through other campaigns and that governor funds must stay within a specific limit, so cannot receive unlimited money from a candidate’s Senate committee for example.
The closeness of this year’s New Jersey race has meant it is looking likely to be the most expensive in history—with the total amount spent by both candidates set to top $200 million, which is double the amount spent by candidates in the 2021 election, according to regional news outlet whyy.org.
In the polls, Sherrill’s support is being significantly generated by female favor, as she is leading Ciattarelli by 13 points among women, while the Republican has a 7-point lead among male voters, according to a recent Quinnipiac University poll.
Both have received support from prominent political figures, with former President Barack Obama speaking at Sherrill’s rally on Saturday, while President Donald Trump has made his support for Ciattarelli clear.
What People Are Saying
Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop wrote in a post on X on Saturday: “NJ may actually have an upset. This is prob great news for Jack’s team as we are a society that likes underdogs and comebacks by nature. This is prob the last public poll. FYI In the 2025 update of pollster ratings by Silver Bulletin [which is associated with Nate Silver’s team], AtlasIntel received an A+ rating and was ranked #1 in overall pollster quality in the U.S. for the 2024 election cycle.”
What Happens Next
With a few days left in the governor’s race, there is still everything to play for and it is not clear who will come out victorious.