On November 4, New Jersey, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, and California held elections for various governmental positions. New Jersey—who has elected a new governor—was a part of a nation-wide “Blue Wave,” marking a significant political victory for the Democratic Party.

Polls closed at 8 p.m. in New Jersey, some remaining open later due to bomb threats in Bergen, Essex, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, and Passaic Counties. Democratic candidate Mikie Sherrill was declared the winner by The Associated Press at 9:22 p.m. With 95% of the votes counted, her current vote total stands at 1.8 million, while Jack Ciattarelli’s total stands at 1.3 million.

A quote from Associated Press News Decision Team, on November 4 around 9:30 p.m., “When AP called Sherrill the winner, she had a double-digit lead. Sherrill was outrunning Harris, who won the state by 6 points last fall, across the state, especially in vote-rich Northern Jersey. With more than half the expected vote in, Ciattarelli would have needed to win close to 60% of the remaining vote–a benchmark he was hitting in just one county.”

All counties had a slight democratic shift, with the lesser being Ocean County with a one to two point shift and the greatest being a sixteen point shift in Sussex and Cumberland counties. Galloway, home of Stockton University, lies in District 2, where Republican Don Guardian and Democrat Maureen Rowan led the Assembly polls with 39,183 and 38,195 votes, respectively.

Throughout election season, Stockton hosted events to motivate students to vote, including a voter registration drive with the Political Engagement Project, School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, and the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy.

As governor, Mikie Sherrill plans address affordability, housing, and education. “From housing and grocery prices, to child care and health care, I will work constantly as your governor to bring down costs for families,” Sherrill says on her website, where all of her stances can be found.