Poll: Sherrill, Ciattarelli tied in New Jersey gubernatorial race

Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill and GOP former state Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli are tied in New Jersey's gubernatorial race, according to a poll released Thursday.

The Emerson College Polling/PIX11/The Hill poll found that both Sherrill and Ciattarelli received 43% from somewhat likely and very likely New Jersey voters, with a separate 11% saying they were undecided, The Hill reported.

The poll was released days after the first debate between the two gubernatorial nominees and about a month ahead of Election Day on Nov. 4.

Emerson College Polling Executive Director Spencer Kimball said that Sherrill performs better with female voters, while Ciattarelli performs better among male voters.

“A stark gender divide also emerges among Garden State voters: women break for Sherrill by ten points, 46% to 36%, while men break for Ciattarelli by 12 points, 51% to 39%,” Kimball said. “Notably, women are over twice as likely to be undecided at 15% compared to 6% of men.”

While Sherrill polls better among younger voters, Ciattarelli finds more favor with older voters.

“Young voters, under 40, break for Sherrill by large margins, 58% to 24%,“ Kimball said, adding, “The race tightens to seven points among voters in their 40s, with Sherrill leading 47% to 40%, then Ciattarelli flips the script among voters over 50, leading Sherrill 52% to 36% among this group.”

New Jersey's last gubernatorial race saw Gov. Phil Murphy narrowly defeat Ciattarelli by 3 points. Last year, former Vice President Harris won the state by just over 6 points, as Trump performed better than expected.

Murphy has a job disapproval rating of 44%, compared to a 35% approval rating and 21% who say they are neutral or have no opinion.

The poll was conducted from Sept. 22 to Sept. 23 among 935 somewhat likely and very likely New Jersey voters. The margin of error is +/- 3.1 percentage points.