TRENTON, N.J. (CN) - Democratic U.S. Representative Mikie Sherrill is projected to win the race to become New Jersey's next governor - and it wasn't the squeaker polls had suggested.

Polls had Sherrill, a former Navy helicopter pilot who won her current congressional seat in 2018, narrowly inching out Republican businessman Jack Ciattarelli for the governorship.

Ciattarelli, a former state assemblyman who had run twice before to unseat Democrats from Trenton, had taken a hard line against immigration in recent years after previously trying to keep President Trump at arm's length.

At 8:50 p.m. Eastern Time, with polls closed for nearly an hour, Sherrill had amassed almost 59% of the more than 1 million votes counted.

"New Jersey, it is the honor of my life to earn your trust to become this great state's 57th governor," Sherrill tweeted. "I promise to listen, lead with courage, and never forget who I serve."

New Jersey had set records for early voting and fundraising in a contest that was not as flashy as others during this off-cycle election but was thought to be the tightest.

The recent government shutdown and President Donald Trump's threats to cancel the Gateway tunnel into Manhattan likely galvanized voters to elect Sherrill.

John Derenge, who works for the Army at Picatinny Arsenal, said he voted for Sherrill because of his concern about the government shutdown.

"I got a lot of family members who are federal employees, especially in D.C., and they are not happy with the way the current administration runs things," he told Courthouse News.

The race had set several records in terms of fundraising and early voting. According to VoteHub.com, 1.2 million mail-in and early ballots were cast in New Jersey prior to Election Day.

Of those early ballots, Democrats held the clear edge, with 51% of the total compared with almost 27% of those ballots from Republican voters. About one-fifth of those early ballots were not dedicated to either party, VoteHub showed.

The race was considered the tightest among the big three campaigns this season but managed to avoid much of the drama of those other races.

However, just after polls opened, bomb threats reportedly were called into some polling stations in seven New Jersey counties. The polls were declared safe and reopened shortly after.

The Trump administration also had sent election monitors to several locations, which Democrats condemned as electoral interference.

New Jersey traditionally has been a blue state in presidential elections, with Democrats outnumbering Republicans by about 800,000. However, the state is purple when it comes to governors.

In 2021, Ciattarelli lost his second bid to become governor against current outgoing Governor Phil Murphy, though the race was within just a few points.

Both candidates easily secured their party nominations back in June, and the race continued to tighten even as Sherrill was consistently predicted to win.

The last poll by Emerson College had Sherrill winning by just one percentage point, while Quinnpiac's final poll had Sherrill winning by a much larger margin of 8%.

The race was incredibly tight from a fundraising standpoint, too. The two candidates raised a combined ground-breaking $82 million after the June primaries. Sherill had a slightly fatter wallet, with $700,000 more than Ciattarelli, according to the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission.

Retired truck driver John Buttor of Parsippany, an independent voter, said Democrats had failed and that utility prices and immigration swayed him to vote for Ciattarelli.

"She didn't answer any questions when she was asked," Buttor said of Sherrill. "She seemed as confused as Kamala, you know."

Madison retiree Andrea Wilkens voted for Sherrill to help spur opposition to President Trump. "I think if we didn't vote for her the country would go to hell," she said. "I think we have a little bit of a chance with her."

Pocketbook issues like taxes and energy prices dominated the campaign, but there was a fair bit of mudslinging toward the end.

During a debate, Sherrill accused Ciattarelli of killing tens of thousands of people due to his former medical publishing company downplaying opioid dangers. She also tied the current government shutdown to Ciattarelli.

Ciattarelli rebuked Sherrill for the accusation and threatened a defamation suit. He also slammed her for not knowing the difference between a pork roll and Taylor ham.

Source: Courthouse News Service