The field of gubernatorial hopefuls is expanding even further. Rep. Mikie Sherrill announced early Monday morning that she intends to seek the Democratic nomination for New Jersey governor in 2025.
In a prerecorded video, Sherrill — dressed in her Navy flight jacket — said she’s “on a mission to get things done for New Jersey.”
Acknowledging the divisive state of politics throughout the country, Sherrill focused on all that New Jersey has to offer.
“In New Jersey, we don’t whine, we work,” she said. “This is the state, more than any other, that guaranteed our freedom as we fought for independence. This is the state that built this nation.”
Sherrill went on to say it’s time to confront issues the state is facing head-on, such as housing, the economy and affordability “from health care to groceries to child care.”
The congresswoman said New Jersey can “be the state that sets the gold standard for protecting rights and freedoms, and we know they’ll be under attack from Donald Trump’s Washington.”
She said New Jerseyans love their country, are proud of their state and value their freedoms and wants to “defend them with everything we’ve got.”
How would Mikie Sherrill approach being NJ governor?
Sherrill said in a phone interview Monday afternoon that those interested in knowing how she would work as governor should look to her House record.
“When I first got into the House I was told basically, ‘Look, you can’t get anything done. You’re a junior member.’ By my second term, I was rated the most effective member of Congress from the New Jersey delegation by the Center for Effective Lawmaking,” she said.
Sherrill said her priorities would be similar to legislation she has worked on in Washington — such as efforts to make life more affordable in New Jersey, including shrinkflation legislation, and work to develop brownfields properties into sites for new housing.
She said she works with anyone who wants to get things done and is “constantly focusing on people’s needs and trying to deliver on all of them so we can make life a little bit easier.”
The announcement comes less than two weeks after Sherrill was elected to a fourth term representing the state’s 11th Congressional District.
The district includes 15 municipalities in Essex County, 27 in Morris County and four in Passaic County.
What has Mikie Sherrill done in Congress?
Sherrill, 52, of Montclair, was first elected in 2018. She is a veteran of the Navy, where she served as a pilot, and is a former federal prosecutor.
She has a reputation in Congress and throughout her district for moderate views with a focus on affordability and the impact of social media on children.
Sherrill has also been steady in her opinion that America should continue its efforts to sustain Ukraine and Israel in their respective struggles.
More:How well do New Jersey voters recognize their candidates for governor in 2025?
Who else is running for governor?
She has her work cut out for her in the primary, though, with a crowded field that already includes Newark Mayor Ras Baraka; Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop; former state Senate President Steve Sweeney; Sean Spiller, president of the New Jersey Education Association, the state teachers’ union; and, as of Friday, Rep. Josh Gottheimer.
On the Republican side, former state Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli, who narrowly lost to incumbent Gov. Phil Murphy in 2021, is again seeking the Garden State’s highest office, and he is up against state Sen. Jon Bramnick, former state Sen. Ed Durr and radio personality Bill Spadea.
Katie Sobko covers the New Jersey Statehouse. Email: sobko@northjersey.com
