Dem Candidate Mikey Sherrill Draws Crowd in Vineland

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mikie Sherrill addressed a crowd of about 250 party members, well-wishers, and local office holders and candidates recently at Ramada by Wyndham in Vineland.

The energetic crowd, which braved an uncomfortably warm room with limited seating for nearly two hours, showed enthusiasm for the party’s chances in the campaigns for governor, NJ, Assembly, and local commission seats.

Sherrill is locked in a tight contest with Republican Jack Ciattarelli, who came within six points of unseating governor Phil Murphy in 2021. Murphy is now term-limited from running again.

New Jersey is generally viewed as a solidly Democratic state, but the governorship has toggled between parties consistently over the past 20 years.

The elections in New Jersey and Virginia are generally recognized as bellwethers on relative party strength going into the mid-term elections next year and the 2028 presidential contest. Sherril was quoted in The Atlantic as saying, “As New Jersey goes, so goes the nation.”

In her 15-minute address at the Ramada, Sherrill emphasized, “We have to make this state work better for its people, and that’s the kind of leader I’ll be—serving you.”

Sherrill is a U.S. Naval Academy graduate and has degrees from the London School of Economics and Georgetown Law. She served in the Navy for almost 10 years, notably as a helicopter pilot flying missions across Europe and the Middle East. She later worked as an Assistant U.S. Attorney

Sherrill has represented the 11th NJ Congressional district since 2019 and lives in Montclair with her husband Jason. They have four children, the two eldest of which are serving in the Navy.