Ciattarelli, unlike four years ago, was more embracing of the president in his campaign. He gave Trump an “A” during the second gubernatorial debate, praising the president’s actions on border security and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

The result? The Garden State became part of a blue wave of Democratic victories in Virginia, New York City and California, where voters approved a new congressional map designed to boost the chances of the party gaining five more seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“People want a different type of politics right now,  one that’s going to prioritize their well-being and prioritize affordability as a message,” said Antoinette Miles, state director of the New Jersey Working Families Party, a progressive political organization.

Miles said voters wanted someone who is willing to fight for issues they care about, which they did not see in Ciattarelli.

“Voters did not like what he was going to do,” she said, referring to Ciattarelli’s promises to change the state’s affordable housing law, known as the Mt. Laurel Doctrine, and criminal justice reforms. “I think it became very clear going into the final weeks of this election that Jack Ciattarelli was going to fold over for Donald Trump no matter what.”

In the end, the Ciattarelli-Sherrill race wasn’t close despite opinion polls suggesting otherwise.

Koning said polls are not often accurate because pollsters are not talking to the entire population.

“You apply that margin of error to any of those mid-single-digit leads and you get pretty darn close to what we actually saw happen last night,” she said.

Using the Eagleton poll before Tuesday’s election, which had a 5% margin of error, as an example, Koning said Sherrill could have polled “anywhere up to 55%,” while Ciattarelli “could have been anywhere down to 40%.”

“Understanding the range of possibilities and that uncertainty, I think is first and foremost what we need to realize going forward in elections,” Koning added.