WASHINGTON – The race for New Jersey’s governor’s seat is heating up, with voters heading to the polls this Tuesday. This election is attracting considerable national attention, as its outcome is expected to reverberate through the broader political landscape, regardless of who emerges victorious.

In addition to the gubernatorial race, New Jerseyans will also vote on a pivotal mayoral contest in Jersey City, which includes a former governor among its candidates. Statewide, legislative seats within the predominantly Democratic General Assembly are also up for grabs.

The Democratic contender, Mikie Sherrill, a four-term U.S. representative and ex-Navy helicopter pilot, faces off against Republican Jack Ciattarelli. Ciattarelli, previously a state Assemblyman, narrowly missed defeating incumbent Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy in the 2021 race by a slim margin of about 3 percentage points. This time, he enters the race with significant backing, having secured an endorsement from former President Donald Trump, who recently lent his support in a telephonic town hall.

Both Sherrill and Ciattarelli have demonstrated formidable fundraising prowess, each amassing close to $20 million to fuel their campaigns.

New Jersey stands as one of only two states with a gubernatorial election this November. Historically, these elections in New Jersey, alongside Virginia, have been closely scrutinized as potential indicators of public sentiment towards the party in the White House. Traditionally, New Jersey voters have chosen governors from the opposing party of the sitting president, a trend that persisted from 1989 until 2017. However, this pattern was disrupted in 2021 when Murphy secured reelection, despite President Joe Biden being in office.

In this election, that trend is at odds with another aspect of the state’s voting history. No party has held the New Jersey governorship for more than three consecutive terms since the 1960s, when a two-term Democratic governor succeeded another two-term Democratic governor.

In Jersey City, seven candidates look to replace outgoing Mayor Steven Fulop, who lost the Democratic nomination for governor in June. Among the candidates to replace him are former Gov. Jim McGreevey, Hudson County Commissioner Bill O’Dea and Jersey City Councilman James Solomon. McGreevey was elected governor in 2001 but resigned in 2004 following a scandal stemming from an extramarital affair with a male staffer. If no candidate receives a majority of the vote, the top two finishers will compete in a runoff election on Dec. 2.

All 80 seats in the state General Assembly will be up for election on Tuesday. Democrats hold a 52-28 majority in the chamber.

New Jersey has been a reliable state for Democrats in presidential elections, having not gone for a Republican presidential candidate since 1988. Despite that history, Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris received a relatively modest 52% of the vote in 2024, down from the 57% Biden received four years earlier.

Trump flipped five counties in 2024 that he had lost to Biden in 2020: Atlantic, Cumberland, Gloucester, Morris and Passaic. His win in Passaic is particularly notable because Biden won there in 2020 by a 17-point margin. Ciattarelli carried four of these five counties in 2021 — all but Passaic.

The Associated Press does not make projections and will declare a winner only when it’s determined there is no scenario that would allow the trailing candidates to close the gap. If a race has not been called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory. In doing so, the AP will make clear that it has not yet declared a winner and explain why.

Recounts are rare in New Jersey. The state does not have automatic recounts, but candidates and voters may request and pay for them, with the cost refunded if the outcome changes. The AP may declare a winner in a race that is eligible for a recount if it can determine the lead is too large for a recount or legal challenge to change the outcome.

Here’s a look at what to expect on Tuesday:

How late are polls open?

Polls close at 8 p.m. ET.

What’s on the ballot?

The AP will provide vote results and declare winners in the races for governor, state General Assembly and mayor of Jersey City.

Who gets to vote?

Registered New Jersey voters may participate in the statewide election for governor or for local races in their General Assembly district or municipality.

What do turnout and advance vote look like?

As of Oct. 1, there were about 6.6 million registered voters in New Jersey. Of those, about 38% were Democrats, about 25% were Republicans and about 35% were not affiliated with any party.

In the 2021 general election for governor, turnout was about 40% of registered voters. About 30% of the vote was cast early or by absentee.

As of Monday, nearly 735,000 early and absentee ballots had already been cast. About 56% of these ballots were from Democrats, about 27% from Republicans and about 17% from voters not affiliated with any party. See the AP Advance Vote Tracker for the latest update.

How long does vote counting usually take?

In the 2024 presidential election in New Jersey, the first results the AP reported came from Hudson County at 8:01 p.m. ET, one minute after polls closed. Vote tabulation ended for the night at 4:21 a.m. ET in Burlington County with about 95% of votes counted.

Are we there yet?

As of Tuesday, there will be 364 days until the 2026 midterm elections and 1,099 days until the 2028 general election.

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Follow the AP’s coverage of the 2025 election at https://apnews.com/projects/election-results-2025/.