US Rep. and former prosecutor and Navy helicopter pilot Mikie Sherrill will be the state’s Democratic nominee for governor in November after defeating five Dem opponents in Tuesday’s party primary.
Sherrill, 53, a mother of four and four-term congresswoman representing parts of Essex, Morris and Passaic counties, garnered an early lead in pre-primary polling in large part because of her impressive resume, which included a stint as a federal prosecutor.
She tallied 34.6% of the vote when the Associated Press projected her to win at 8:39 p.m. ET.
Sherill of Montclair beat out Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, US Rep. Josh Gottheimer, New Jersey Education Association union President Sean Spiller and former state Sen. Steve Sweeney for the nod.
“THANK YOU, NEW JERSEY! I’m thrilled to officially be your Democratic nominee for governor and I am ready for the challenge. Let’s do this,” Sherrill wrote on X after her win.
“We are in an American crisis,” she said in her victory speech, adding that “it is New Jersey’s responsibility to lead this great nation. ”
Murphy congratulated Sherrill on her primary victory and called for Democrats statewide to rally around her campaign.
Fulop was netting 17.8% of the vote and Baraka, Gottheimer, Spiller and Sweeney all had less than 14% support when the race was called.
Sherill will face Trump-endorsed businessman and former New Jersey Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli in the general election.
“It’s now time for all Democrats to unite behind her candidacy and defeat President Trump’s hand-picked Republican nominee, Jack Ciattarelli,” the outgoing governor said in a statement.
Ciattarelli trounced his Republican opponents Tuesday night, winning every county in the state and receiving 67.2% of the vote.
Ciattarelli ran against outgoing Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy in 2017 and 2021, coming within just 3 points of defeating him in his second attempt.
In addition to Sherill enjoying a solid polling lead heading into the primary, she also had won the support of much of the Garden State’s Democratic Party apparatus.
In Congress, Sherrill serves on the House Committee on Armed Services and its Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party. She also is a member of caucuses including the Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues, the New Democrat Coalition and the Rare Disease Caucus.
Her campaign centered around the affordability crisis in Jersey affecting everything from healthcare costs to grocery prices. She also regularly spoke out against the Trump administration as well as Elon Musk, accusing them of working to “dismantle” social programs such as Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.
Sherrill pledged if elected as governor, to work to lower prescription drug costs while requiring more transparency in healthcare pricing and directing the state’s attorney general to go after practices such as price gouging, monopolies and insurers denying coverage.
She also champions shared services for municipalities and school districts to help spread some of the cost around in an effort to lower property taxes and supports the expansion of the state’s Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit.
The New Jersey gubernatorial election is scheduled for Nov. 4.
Additional reporting by Victor Nava
