NEW JERSEY – Rep. Mikie Sherrill is looking to trade Washington for Trenton next month. The congresswoman and former Navy helicopter pilot is running to be the next governor of New Jersey as the Democratic nominee, going up against the GOP’s Jack Ciattarelli.

Here’s what you need to know about Sherrill, her platform and more.

2025 NJ governor election: Polls and outlook

What we know:

This year’s New Jersey governor’s race is one of the first major elections since President Donald Trump took office for his second term and is seen as an early test of Republican momentum across the country.

The election looks to be tight. While a recent poll from Emerson College and The Hill has Sherrill and Ciattarelli in a dead heat, other polls, like those from Fox News and Quinnipiac University, have Sherrill ahead by several points.

Who is Mikie Sherrill?

What we know:

Mikie Sherrill currently serves as the representative for New Jersey’s 11th District in the House of Representatives. After graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1994, she spent nearly a decade in the U.S. Navy as a helicopter pilot. She then went on to work for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey.

In her online bio, Sherrill said she was inspired to run for Congress after Donald Trump’s first presidential run. When she was elected in 2018, Sherrill flipped a seat that had been held by Republicans since 1985.

She lives in Montclair with her husband and children.

Who won the debate between Ciattarelli, Sherrill?

Democratic nominee Mikie Sherrill and Republican nominee Jack Ciattarelli went head-to-head on Wednesday night in their final debate before New Jerseyans decide which of them will serve as the state’s next governor. Political analyst Steve Adubato joined Good Day New York with reaction.

What are Mikie Sherrill’s policies?

JUMP TO: AFFORDABILITY | ABORTION | TAXES | CHILDCARE & EDUCATION

Affordability

Dig deeper:

Sherrill and her opponent Ciattarelli both say the state is getting increasingly expensive, but the two have drastically different plans on how to fix it. 

She points the blame on the Trump administration for defunding programs.

“As Trump and [Elon] Musk work to dismantle Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, and defund programs that support our students and our seniors, I’ll fight like hell to stop their reckless assault that raises costs for all of us and use every power available to me as governor to protect New Jerseyans,” her stated platform reads.

Rep. Mikie Sherrill (C) (D-NJ) is trailed by reporters after leaving a House Democratic caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol where formal impeachment proceedings against U.S. President Donald Trump were announced by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi Se

Sherrill says she wants to lower prices on food, housing, childcare, health care and more. Her plan entails tax incentives and loans to help get more homes built, and assistance for first-time home buyers. She wants to lower rising energy bills by investing heavily in clean energy, specifically solar, and by declaring a State of Emergency on her first day in office to freeze energy rates. Under her plan, Sherrill also wants to require healthcare companies to be more transparent about prices, including for health insurance companies to justify premium increases. 

Abortion

Sherrill wants to codify a woman’s right to an abortion in the New Jersey state Constitution and says that “while New Jersey is a leader in reproductive freedom, I know that as governor, there is more we can do to ensure every woman has access to the reproductive health care she needs.”

Sherrill’s platform includes requiring health insurance plans to cover all reproductive health services and expanding access to contraception and in vitro fertilization (IVF).

In Congress, Sherrill has sponsored and cosponsored several bills that would expand healthcare and abortion access, but none of them have passed the House.

Taxes

Sherrill plans to expand access to the Child Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit to help lower income taxes. She also wants to create a tax credit for caregiver assistance for seniors. 

Sherrill would also bring back the back-to-school sales tax holiday to help parents pay for school supplies.

Childcare and education

To help cut costs on childcare and education, Sherrill says she wants to train more childcare professionals and expand universal Pre-K. Sherrill’s plan would also provide free school meals for students and increase mental health care services at schools.

Sherill’s plan also involves encouraging schools to offer more childcare options for their staff and to create more before and after-school programs “that meet the needs of families and increase learning opportunities for students.”  

Who has endorsed Mikie Sherrill?

What they’re saying:

Since securing the Democratic nomination, Sherrill has received endorsements from several labor unions and local politicians.

New Jersey’s current Gov. Phil Murphy has backed Sherrill, saying that “Mikie earned the trust and support of voters because they know she is a fighter.

Sherrill has also received the endorsement of both of New Jersey’s sitting Senators, Sen. Cory Booker and Sen. Andy Kim.

The New Jersey Education Association and state branches of the AFL-CIO, Health Professionals and Allied Employees and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Workers have all also rallied behind Sherrill.

Who is Mikie Sherrill’s running mate?

Sherrill is running alongside Dr. Dale Caldwell. Currently, Caldwell is the President of Centenary University in Hackettstown, and the Pastor at Covenant United Methodist Church in Plainfield.

He’s also worked for New Jersey’s Educational Services Commission, the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs and Deloitte Consulting, and volunteered on the New Brunswick school board for nearly 30 years.

When is Election Day in NJ? Timeline, key dates

• The voter registration deadline for the general election has passed.
• Saturday, Oct. 25 through Sunday, Nov. 2: The early voting period. Hours will be Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Tuesday, Nov. 4: Election Day. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

You can check your registration status online here.

To find your local poll site, click here.

How to track election results

FOX 29 is your home on Election Night. Bookmark our Election Results page to track in real-time, and tune into our Election Night coverage live right here on fox29.com and FOX LOCAL New York as the night unfolds. Coverage begins at 4 p.m.

The Source: Information in this story is from Rep. Mikie Sherrill’s campaign website, the United States Congress, Centenary University, an X post from NJ Sen. Andy Kim, online statements from several organizations who have endorsed Sherrill for governor and previous FOX 29 reports.

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