By: Meyer Wolfsheim

The New Jersey governor’s race — now a dead heat between Republican Jack Ciattarelli and Democrat Mikie Sherrill — has already topped $72 million in spending, setting the stage to become the most expensive election in state history, the New York Post found.

Republican Ciattarelli is gaining ground with voters and donors, while the Post reported that national Democrats are rushing tens of millions through super PACs and outside groups to keep the blue-leaning state from flipping red. Democrats currently outnumber Republicans in New Jersey by nearly a million registered voters.

According to the NY Post, the total price tag could soar past $250 million by Election Day when combined with the record-breaking $145 million spent in this year’s primaries — already more than double the cost of the 2021 race between Ciattarelli and Gov. Phil Murphy.

Ciattarelli, a former state assemblyman from Hunterdon County, announced last week that he raised $6.4 million for the general election, becoming the first candidate to hit the maximum $12.5 million in public matching funds. More than $1 million poured in after his strong performance in the Sept. 21 debate, the Post reported, and following renewed scrutiny of Sherrill’s past involvement in a Naval Academy cheating scandal.

“Jack beating Mikie to the match is a big deal — that doesn’t happen for Republicans in this state,” GOP strategist Alex Wilkes told the NY Post.

Days later, Sherrill’s campaign announced $7.35 million in donations, pushing her past the same qualifying threshold. Both candidates have agreed to a campaign spending cap of $18.5 million under the state’s public financing system, though outside support continues to surge.

The Democratic Governors Association, through its Greater Garden State super PAC, has committed more than $20 million to Sherrill’s ad blitz across TV, streaming, and digital platforms. The Democratic National Committee is adding another $3 million, the Post reported.

Ciattarelli’s backers are responding with major independent spending of their own: the Republican Governors Association’s Restore New Jersey PAC is pouring in $7.3 million, while another group, Change NJ, has pledged $3.7 million, according to campaign reps.

In total, at least $72.3 million has already been spent or committed for the general election — $42.4 million backing Sherrill and $29.9 million for Ciattarelli. That already exceeds the $60.5 million spent in the 2021 general election, the Post noted.

“This is the strongest position Republicans have been in for years,” said Kate Gibbs, executive director of the New Jersey GOP. “We don’t need equal footing to win — we just need to compete.”

Gibbs added that a Ciattarelli victory would signal major national momentum for the GOP heading into next year’s midterms.

The NY Post noted that even the 2005 governor’s race — when Democrat Jon Corzine beat Doug Forrester — cost less when adjusted for inflation, at roughly $125 million. With a month still left and outside spending accelerating, 2025’s contest is on track to leave every previous race in the dust.