Mikie Sherrill becomes New Jersey’s second woman governor

Mikie Sherrill becomes New Jersey’s second woman governor

Representative Mikie Sherrill, a Democrat and former Navy helicopter pilot, won the New Jersey governor’s race on Tuesday by a comfortable margin, becoming the state’s second woman to hold the office. She succeeds fellow Democrat Phil Murphy, who steps down in January after serving the maximum two terms, the New York Times reported.

Sherrill, 53, will govern a state facing both economic and social strains: one of the nation’s highest property and business tax burdens, a persistent budget deficit, and looming cuts in federal Medicaid funding that could affect 1.7 million residents. At the same time, federal immigration policy under the Trump administration continues to put pressure on New Jersey, home to roughly 475,000 undocumented residents.

A family rooted in service

Born and raised in Virginia, Sherrill is the eldest of three daughters. She and her husband, investment banker Jason Hedberg, moved to Montclair, New Jersey, in 2010, where they live with their four children and a golden retriever named Goose. Two of their children, Margaret and Lincoln, are first-year students at the U.S. Naval Academy; Ike attends Montclair High School; and Merritt is in middle school.

Hedberg, who recently joined the Royal Bank of Canada, has joked that he’s looking forward to his new role as “first gentleman.” Sherrill often credits her family for keeping her grounded through campaigns and public life. She laughs recalling how, after a televised debate last month, her youngest immediately asked, “Mom, have you gotten me a hair appointment yet?”

A Navy pilot turned prosecutor

A 1994 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Sherrill spent nine years in the Navy, flying helicopters on missions in Europe and serving as a Russian policy officer. She also studied Arabic in Cairo and global history at the London School of Economics. After leaving active duty, she earned a law degree from Georgetown University and joined a New York law firm before moving into public service.

In 2012, she joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Newark, first in community outreach and later as a federal prosecutor. Former President Barack Obama, campaigning for her in Newark last weekend, praised her drive: “She’s raising four kids, serving her country — and then decides, apparently that wasn’t enough, to run for Congress.”

From Congress to the State House

Sherrill was first elected to Congress in 2018, part of the wave of women who flipped suburban districts during Trump’s presidency. During her time in Washington, she shared housing with Abigail Spanberger, another former federal officer who, in a historic coincidence, was elected governor of Virginia on the same night Sherrill won in New Jersey.

Her campaign for governor emphasized practical solutions and a moderate tone. She pledged to increase transparency in state budgeting, create interactive tools for residents to track spending and contracts, and push for reforms in utility pricing after electricity rates rose 22 percent this summer—one of the steepest increases in the nation.

A focus on affordability and mental health

Sherrill has promised to declare a state of emergency on electricity costs on her first day in office, aiming to freeze prices and convene utilities, regulators, and producers to negotiate relief. She has also suggested overhauling the state’s Board of Public Utilities and making it easier for new power generators to connect to the grid.

Beyond economics, she has pledged to strengthen school mental-health services and ban cellphones in classrooms to help address what she calls “a mental health crisis in our state.”

The road ahead

When she takes office in January, Sherrill and her lieutenant governor, Dale Caldwell—the president of Centenary University—will inherit a state in fiscal stress but also with a long tradition of bipartisan pragmatism. Her background as a veteran, prosecutor, and legislator has given her a reputation for discipline and composure under pressure—qualities that may serve her well in Trenton’s turbulent politics.

As New Jersey’s new governor, Mikie Sherrill will face one of the toughest tests of her career: balancing empathy and efficiency in a state that expects both.