NEW JERSEY – Rep. Mikie Sherrill is the Democratic nominee for the next Governor of New Jersey. She’s been backed by current Gov. Phil Murphy and former president Barack Obama.
She, like her opponent, the GOP’s Jack Ciattarelli, has campaigned on making the state more affordable, focusing on more affordable housing, along with energy and food costs. She’s even planning on declaring a state of emergency regarding rising utility prices on her first day in office if elected.
RELATED: NJ governor race: Where Jack Ciattarelli stands on taxes, crime, housing and more
Early voting for the election is underway. Here’s where Sherrill stands on the issues.
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Sherrill wants to lower taxes by increasing tax credits like the Child Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit. She also says she wants to create a caregiver assistance tax and bring back the back-to-school sales tax holiday.
Sherrill has also been critical of President Donald Trump’s administration, particularly with regard to the economy.
“Tariffs are raising costs on everybody. Everything from a cup of coffee in the morning, to the grocery store prices you pay,” Sherrill said in an Oct. 15 interview with FOX 5 NY. “… A state like New Jersey, which pays $70 billion more in federal taxes than we get returned, if the federal government is not going to run programs on education and healthcare, then they need to return that money to the state so that we can run those programs for the people.”
Housing is listed as the first item on Sherrill’s “affordability agenda.”
Her plan focuses on increasing the housing supply through tax incentives for builders and new planning resources for communities that invest in development. She also aims to streamline the permitting process to accelerate construction.
On the demand side, Sherrill proposes creating assistance programs for first-time homebuyers, helping more people achieve homeownership.
(Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Sherrill told FOX 5 NY in a recent interview that the number one issue she’s hearing about from voters is rising energy costs. Sherrill thinks that rising rates are just one of several long-term issues where state officials “kicked the can down the road… and we’re coming to the breaking point.”
Electricity costs in New Jersey have gone up more than 50% between July 2020 and July 2025, according to Inside Climate News.
Sherrill says she’ll declare a State of Emergency on her first day in office that would, in part, freeze utility rates.
“I’ve already had an open letter from the public utilities saying they want to meet to discuss the rate hikes, so we can come up with how we drive them down,” Sherrill said.
Additionally, Sherrill wants to invest heavily in solar projects, especially on state property. She would also incentivize community solar and push electrical grid operators to plug clean energy options into the grid.
Sherrill’s full plan to make New Jersey affordable can be found on her website here.
During her time in Congress, Sherrill introduced multiple bills aimed at reducing crime as part of a package called SAFE NJ. Those bills do things like create funding for summer jobs for kids, increase access to mental health care and tutoring programs and more.
“As governor, I am committed to enacting these evidence-based programs in New Jersey and expanding innovative and proven programs… that prioritize mental health services and treatment while reducing use of force,” Sherrill’s website says.
Sherrill also wants to focus on gun safety and plans to increase restrictions that would keep violent criminals from legally buying guns, along with requiring tighter safety requirements for gun storage.
Sherrill says she wants to lower prescription prices by requiring Pharmacy Benefit Managers to offer the discounts they get on prescriptions to you.
She also wants more transparency in healthcare pricing and would try to require insurance companies to justify any premium increases. Other policies include increased childcare options, which she plans to create by having more training to increase jobs and by creating employer-supported programs.
Sherrill wants to protect a woman’s right to an abortion and make sure reproductive health services are covered by insurance. She also plans to expand access to contraception and in vitro fertilization.
Sherrill’s platform involves increased services for students, including free school meals, expanded mental health access and more before and after-school programs. She also wants to expand universal pre-K.
Some other policies Sherrill supports include:
- Backing the Gateway Project, which would create a new tunnel between New Jersey and New York City
- Lower food prices by investing in small food retailers and farmers and by incentivizing schools and food banks to buy from local farmers
The Source: Information in this story is from FOX 5 NY interviews with Rep. Mikie Sherrill, Sherrill’s gubernatorial campaign website and previous FOX 5 NY reports.
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