SADDLE BROOK, N.J. – With Election Day fast approaching, the Republican nominee in one of only two races for governor in the nation this year is fired up.

«Championship teams finish strong,» Jack Ciattarelli told a crowd of supporters jam-packed into a diner in this northern New Jersey town earlier this week. «Let’s win this race.»

Ciattarelli, who’s making his third straight run for Garden State governor and who nearly upset Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy four years ago, has good reason to be confident.

In a state where registered Democrats still outnumber Republicans despite a GOP surge in registration this decade, two new public opinion polls released this week indicated Ciattarelli narrowing the gap with Democratic gubernatorial nominee Rep. Mikie Sherrill in the race to succeed the term-limited Murphy.

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The slightly fresher of the two surveys, a Fox News poll conducted Oct. 10–14, put Sherrill at 50% support among likely voters, with Ciattarelli at 45%. Sherrill’s 5-point advantage was down from an 8-point lead in Fox News’ September survey in New Jersey.

New Jersey and Virginia are the only two states to hold gubernatorial showdowns in the year after a presidential election, and the contests traditionally grab outsized attention and are viewed as political barometers ahead of the following year’s midterm elections.

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And this year, they’re being viewed to a large degree as ballot-box referendums on President Donald Trump’s unprecedented and combustible second-term agenda.

While Democrats have long dominated federal and state legislative elections in blue-leaning New Jersey, Republicans are very competitive in gubernatorial contests, winning five out of the past 10 elections.

President Donald Trump, seen speaking during a campaign event at Wildwood Beach in Wildwood, New Jersey, May 11, 2024, will headline a tele-rally for Jack Ciattarelli, the 2025 Republican gubernatorial nominee in the Garden State. (Hannah Beier/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

And Trump made major gains in New Jersey in last year’s presidential election, losing the state by only six percentage points, a major improvement over his 16-point deficit four years earlier.

Ciattarelli, interviewed by Fox News Digital Wednesday in Bayonne, New Jersey, noted that he «made big gains» in his 2021 showing «in Hudson County and Passaic County,» two long-time Democratic Party strongholds.

«And the President did very, very well in ’24 in those very same counties. And if you take a look at who’s been endorsing me, including some very prominent Democrats here in Hudson County, people want change,» Ciattarelli emphasized.

But Ciattarelli is also aiming to energize Republican base voters in what’s likely to be a low-turnout election.

Multiple sources confirmed to Fox News that Trump will hold tele-rallies with Ciattarelli ahead of Election Day. Trump’s teaming up with Ciattarelli may help energize MAGA supporters, many of whom are low propensity voters who often skip casting ballots in non-presidential election years.

Republican gubernatorial candidate in Ohio Vivek Ramaswamy headlines a campaign event for New Jersey GOP nominee for governor Jack Ciattarelli, on Oct. 15, 2025, in Saddle Brook, N.J. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)

And on Wednesday, Ciattarelli was joined at his diner stop, where there was an overflow crowd of a couple of hundred people outside, by Vivek Ramaswamy, the MAGA rockstar who is running for governor next year in his home state of Ohio.

Ramaswamy, the multimillionaire biotech entrepreneur and conservative commentator who pushed an «America First 2.0» platform as he ran for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination before ending his bid and becoming one of Trump’s top supporters and surrogates, told Ciattarelli, «We’re going in Ohio next year, but you’ve got to pave the path this year. We’re counting on you.»

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Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin, commenting on why Republicans feel bullish about the New Jersey showdown, raised concerns.

«New Jersey is the best place, probably, for Donald Trump to actually stop the Democratic momentum — or at least minimize the Democratic momentum that we’ve seen throughout this year,» Martin said in a Politico interview. 

But the Democratic Governors Association (DGA) is confident of a Sherrill victory next month.

«As numerous polls show her holding a strong lead and earning more than 50% of the vote, Mikie Sherrill is rising to meet the moment in this incredibly competitive race,» DGA Spokesperson Izzi Levy told Fox News. «It’s clear that Mikie has the momentum, and that New Jersey voters are all-in to reject Ciattarelli for a third time this November.»

New Jersey Democratic gubernatorial nominee Rep. Mikie Sherrill, right, and Republican nominee Jack Ciattarelli, on the stage moments at the start of their second and final debate, on Oct. 8, 2025, in New Brunswick, N.J. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News Digital)

While Trump isn’t on the ballot, he’s loomed large over the New Jersey gubernatorial election.

At last week’s second and final debate, Sherrill charged that her GOP rival had «shown zero signs of standing up to this president. In fact, the president himself called Jack 100% MAGA, and he’s shown every sign of being that.»

Asked whether he considered himself part of the MAGA movement, Ciattarelli said he was «part of a New Jersey movement.»

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When asked to grade the president’s performance so far during his second term, Ciattarelli said, «I’d certainly give the president an A. I think he’s right about everything that he’s doing.»

«I think that tells us all we need to know about who Jack Ciattarelli’s supporting. I give him an F right now,» Sherrill responded, as she pointed to New Jersey’s high cost of living.

Rep. Mikie Sherrill, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee in New Jersey, takes questions from reporters following a debate on Oct. 8, 2025, in New Brunswick, N.J. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)

The race in New Jersey was rocked a couple of weeks ago by a report that the National Personnel Records Center, which is a branch of the National Archives and Records Administration, mistakenly released Sherrill’s improperly redacted military personnel files, which included private information like her Social Security number, to a Ciattarelli ally. 

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But Sherrill’s military records indicated that the United States Naval Academy blocked her from taking part in her 1994 graduation amid a cheating scandal.

The showdown was jolted again last week after Sherrill’s allegations that Ciattarelli was «complicit» with pharmaceutical companies in the opioid deaths of tens of thousands of New Jerseyans, as she pointed to the medical publishing company he owned that pushed content promoting the use of opioids as a low-risk treatment for chronic pain.

This week, Trump set off a political hand grenade in the race, as he «terminated» billions of federal dollars for the Gateway Project, which is funding a new train tunnel under the Hudson River connecting New Jersey and New York.

Sherrill, holding a news conference Thursday at a major commuter rail station just a few miles from the site of the tunnels in one of the busiest train corridors in the nation, called the project «critical» as she took aim at Trump and Ciattarelli.

«I’m fighting for the people of New Jersey. He’s fighting to excuse Trump. It’s unacceptable,» Sherrill charged.

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New Jersey traditionally elects a governor from the party out of power in the White House, which this year favors the Democrats.

But Garden State voters haven’t elected a governor from the same party in three straight elections in over a half century, which would favor the Republicans.

One of those political trends will be busted in next month’s election.

Israel reanudó los ataques aéreos en la Franja de Gaza el domingo, después de acusar al grupo terrorista palestino Hamas de violar el alto el fuego y el acuerdo de liberación de rehenes negociado la semana pasada.

“En respuesta a la flagrante violación del acuerdo de alto el fuego más temprano hoy (domingo), las FDI (Fuerzas de Defensa de Israel) han comenzado una serie de ataques contra objetivos terroristas de Hamas en el sur de la Franja de Gaza”, indicó el Ejército en un comunicado.

Funcionarios de salud señalaron que al menos nueve palestinos murieron en los ataques del domingo.

Un ataque aéreo israelí mató al menos a seis palestinos en el centro de Gaza, sostuvieron funcionarios de salud. Ocurrió en una cafetería improvisada en el lado costero de la ciudad de Zawaida, según el Ministerio de Salud de Gaza, que forma parte del gobierno dirigido por los terroristas de Hamas.

Otro ataque israelí mató al menos a dos personas cerca del club de fútbol Al-Ahly en el campo de refugiados de Nuseirat, aseguró el ministerio. El ataque golpeó una tienda y dejó ocho heridos, según el hospital Awda, que recibió a los heridos. Un tercer ataque golpeó una tienda en el área de Muwasi en Khan Younis en el sur, matando al menos a una persona, según el Hospital Nasser.

Un funcionario militar israelí dijo a la agencia AP que una primera ola de ataques el domingo por la mañana fue en represalia por al menos tres ataques contra sus fuerzas. Según el funcionario, el Ejército respondió a “al menos tres incidentes en los que Hamas disparó hacia nuestras tropas apostadas detrás de la línea amarilla en las posiciones acordadas”, refiriéndose a la línea de retirada del Ejército israelí bajo los términos del alto el fuego.

En dos incidentes en Rafah, en el sur de la Franja de Gaza, Hamas supuestamente abrió fuego y lanzó una granada propulsada por cohete contra tropas israelíes, algunas de las cuales eran fuerzas de ingeniería “operando para desmantelar infraestructura terrorista en el sur de Gaza”. El funcionario dijo que las tropas estaban apostadas en áreas detrás de la línea amarilla donde el Ejército israelí puede maniobrar bajo los términos de la tregua.

En un incidente separado en Beit Lahia, en el norte de la Franja de Gaza, terroristas palestinos cruzaron la línea amarilla hacia áreas controladas por Israel y fueron “eliminados en un ataque preciso”, dijo el funcionario militar.

Hamas negó las acusaciones de que había atacado a las fuerzas israelíes, diciendo que estaba cumpliendo con la tregua y que Israel estaba ideando “pretextos endebles” para reanudar la guerra. El grupo señaló que la comunicación con sus unidades restantes en Rafah fue cortada desde hace meses y “no somos responsables de ningún incidente que ocurra en esas áreas”. Añadió que las conversaciones para iniciar la segunda fase de las negociaciones de alto el fuego han comenzado.

Testigos palestinos dijeron a AFP que estallaron enfrentamientos en Rafah, en un área aún controlada por Israel, entre Hamas y la milicia rival conocida como las “Fuerzas Populares”. Hamas buscaba supuestamente eliminar al líder de la pandilla Yasser Abu Shabab.

Tras los ataques, el primer ministro Benjamin Netanyahu se reunió con el ministro de Defensa Israel Katz y los jefes de las agencias de seguridad Shin Bet y Mossad, y “ordenó que se tomaran medidas contundentes contra objetivos terroristas en la Franja de Gaza”, según un comunicado de su oficina. Sin embargo, Netanyahu no amenazó con volver a la guerra.

Un alto funcionario egipcio involucrado en las negociaciones del alto el fuego declaró a la agencia AP que se estaban llevando a cabo contactos “las 24 horas” para desescalar la situación. El funcionario habló bajo condición de anonimato porque no estaba autorizado a hablar con los periodistas.

Bajo los términos del acuerdo, Hamas y sus aliados se comprometieron a liberar a todos los rehenes restantes que capturaron el 7 de octubre de 2023. Hasta ahora han liberado a los 20 rehenes supervivientes, pero han devuelto solo 12 cuerpos de los 28 rehenes fallecidos que aún retienen, culpando a las dificultades para localizarlos bajo los escombros.

(Con información de AP, AFP y EFE)

Analysts claim the withdrawal of U.S. and European troops from countries in Africa’s Sahel, and their replacement by Russian mercenaries, has led to a spike in jihadist-driven terrorism. 

The Sahel is a belt of countries running roughly west to east across the continent just below the Sahara Desert. A total of 3,885 deaths — about 51% of all terrorism-related fatalities globally in 2024 — occurred in the Sahel, according to the Global Terrorism Index.

In at least three Sahel states — Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso — military juntas that came to power in coups, notably Niger and Mali, have expelled Western military forces. The U.S. was asked, after 11 years in the country, to halt anti-terror drone operations from two bases in Niger last year. In Mali, French forces were ejected in 2022 after battling Islamist terror groups for nine years. 

Governments have turned to the Kremlin’s private mercenary army, the Africa Corps — formerly known as the Wagner Group — for protection. But the Russians are reportedly more interested in extracting minerals than helping stop the spread of jihadism.

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Ordinary people often bear the brunt of jihadist attacks in the Sahel. Last month, Islamist gunmen on motorbikes reportedly killed 22 people in an attack on Tillaberi village in western Niger. Fifteen of the dead were families attending a naming ceremony for a child, reports said. In northern Mali in January, Russian mercenaries allegedly joined government forces in executing 10 civilians, including a 2-year-old boy.

In the Sahel, «groups affiliated with the Islamic State and al-Qaeda are continuing their territorial and strategic advance,» the Observer Research Foundation reported in August, «taking advantage of governance gaps and weak security forces to push into littoral West African states such as Benin and Togo.»

«The situation in the Sahel, particularly in Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, has rapidly deteriorated since the U.S. and French have withdrawn from the countries following the coups,» Bill Roggio, senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies,(FDD) told Fox News Digital.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Mozambique President Filipe Nyusi shake hands during a family photo opportunity during the Russia Africa Summit in St. Petersburg, Russia, Friday, July 28, 2023.  (Alexei Danichev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Roggio, also editor of the FDD’s Long War Journal, added, «The reality is that the situation was bad before the U.S. and French left the region, but the drawdown of U.S. and French forces has exacerbated the jihadist advances.»

«Both al Qaeda’s branch in the region, JNIM, (al Qaeda-linked Jama’a Nusrat Al-Islam wa al-Muslimin) and the Islamic State have made gains and control significant enclaves in the countries … The juntas in these three countries wanted the West out, and have turned to Russia to provide security via Wagner, which is now ironically called the Africa Corps.»

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A Boko Haram flag flutters from an abandoned command post in Gamboru deserted after Chadian troops chased jihadists from the border town on February 4, 2015.  (Stephane Yas/AFP via Getty Images)

«The Russian forces have little incentive to improve security and focus on securing mineral resources for profit,» Roggio added. «This further fuels the jihadist insurgencies, which prey on civilians caught between the jihadists and weak-to-nonexistent governments in some cases. There is little the U.S. can do at the moment, as these governments are anti-West and do not want a return of U.S. and French forces. And I am not sure either country has the political will or desire to return.»

Dr. Frans Cronje, a political and economic analyst, said in an interview with Fox News Digital that during the run-up to the 2023 coup in Niger, a sophisticated political and media campaign sought to turn public opinion against Western influence, often using anti-colonial themes popular in Western political culture.

Russia’s Wagner group mercenaries in Mali, Africa.  (East2West)

Cronje continued, «French and U.S. stabilization efforts were tarred as imperialist interference and worse. That was on top of the fact that French and U.S. troops were already under severe strain in combating a jihadist insurgency that threatened the civilian population. You could make the case that even without the coup, the Western position was untenable, short of committing ever greater volumes of arms and munitions to a war very far away from Paris and Washington.»

Cronje agreed with Roggio in his assessment of the Kremlin’s position: «Russia’s forces have now filled the gap left by the French and Americans, but Russia’s objective is securing resource supply chains — not civilians.»

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Wagner mercenaries in Mali, December 2023. (East2West)

He concluded, «It is difficult to say if this situation could have been avoided. The only way to do it would have been to run political and media operations to build popular support for Western actors, then install a pro-Western administration and, beyond that, vastly increase Western military resources, including troops, deployed in Niger. All a bridge too far for Western actors — and, in many respects, understandably so.»

A State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital, «The United States has engaged with Sahelian countries using a pragmatic approach that focuses on advancing our foreign policy priorities. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Will Stevens’ recent visits to the region reinforced the U.S. government’s work with host country officials to advance U.S. commercial opportunities and to engage on strategic counterterrorism priorities to mitigate threats to U.S. personnel and interests.»