Rutgers-Eagleton poll: New Jerseyans want Sherrill to focus first on taxes as she begins term
NEW JERSEY — New Jersey residents want Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill to make taxes her top priority when she takes office, according to a new Rutgers-Eagleton Poll that found property taxes dominate the issue list and that Sherrill begins her term with ratings similar to recent incoming governors.
Twenty-eight percent of respondents said Sherrill should focus first on taxes, with many specifically citing property taxes. Another 19% said she should focus first on affordability or the cost of living, though concerns about affordability also surfaced in other areas such as housing and health care, the poll found.
“While affordability was the all-encompassing buzzword of the 2025 governor’s race, taxes remain New Jerseyans’ No. 1 priority,” said Ashley Koning, an assistant research professor and director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. “Taxes topped the list at the start of both Gov. Christie’s and Gov. Murphy’s first terms, and they’re still at the top because the problem hasn’t gone away. Taxes have consistently ranked as one of the most important issues for decades, and, much like her predecessors, Sherrill faces a challenge that may prove difficult – if not impossible – to solve.”
Other issues trailed by wide margins. Nine percent said Sherrill should focus on utility costs, 7% cited housing and housing affordability, 5% pointed to the economy — including inflation and jobs — and 4% named health care and related costs. Three percent each cited education and government issues including inefficiency, corruption and spending. Two percent said she should focus on combating President Donald Trump administration policies and actions, and another 2% cited immigration. Twelve percent mentioned other issues, the poll found.
“New Jerseyans overwhelmingly want Sherrill to zero in on Jersey-centric, everyday issues that directly affect their lives, many of which fall under the umbrella of affordability,” said Koning. “While anti-Trump sentiment resonated on the campaign trail, governing will require balancing any national-level actions with tangible progress on critical state concerns.”
The poll found Sherrill begins her first term with a net favorable rating. Forty percent of respondents viewed her favorably, compared with 22% who viewed her unfavorably. Thirty-two percent said they had no opinion, and 6% said they did not know who she is.
In October 2025 — weeks before the gubernatorial election — 42% of voters held a favorable view of Sherrill and 45% held an unfavorable view, while 11% said they did not have an opinion, the poll noted.
“With the heat of the election now cooled, a notable portion of New Jerseyans – and, in fact, the largest we’ve seen since tracking Sherrill’s ratings – are currently undecided about the governor,” Koning said. “This could work in Sherrill’s favor as she begins her first term, suggesting many residents are open to what she brings to the table. But it also poses a challenge: She’ll need to deliver tangible results to turn that uncertainty into positive sentiment.”
The statewide poll of 1,570 New Jersey adults was conducted through the Rutgers-Eagleton/SSRS Garden State Panel from Dec. 29, 2025, to Jan. 6, 2026. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.6 percentage points.
