Affordability Drives Tight NJ, Virginia Races

Affordability — especially rising utility and energy bills (electricity rates rose about 22% this summer), housing costs, taxes and health care — is dominating voter concerns in the New Jersey and Virginia gubernatorial contests and could help determine which party controls statehouses heading into 2026. In New Jersey, the race between Democrat Mikie Sherrill and Republican Jack Ciattarelli is razor-thin as Election Day approaches, with recent polls showing Sherrill narrowly ahead in some surveys (Quinnipiac 51–43; Suffolk 46–42) and others essentially tied (Emerson/PIX11 49–48). Early voters in several polls favor Sherrill, but undecided voters and a clear gender split — men leaning toward Ciattarelli and women toward Sherrill — leave the outcome uncertain. The candidates offer contrasting economic plans: Sherrill backs ANCHOR and Stay NJ, expanded child and earned-income tax credits and closing loopholes, while Ciattarelli proposes tax caps and freezes for seniors and homeowners and multi-year corporate tax cuts. Minor-party contenders (Libertarian Vic Kaplan, Socialist Joanne Kuniansky) remain on the ballot, and local newsrooms have deployed tools like NJ Advance Media and Capitol AI’s issue analyzer to help voters parse policy differences.