Mikie Sherrill, New Jersey's governor-elect, stated Wednesday that she feels empowered to keep her campaign pledges of improving the state's affordability, and the Democrat is softening her critiques of Republican President Donald Trump, for the present time.
TL;DR
- Mikie Sherrill emphasizes affordability as New Jersey's governor-elect, citing a strong mandate.
- She plans executive orders to halt electricity costs and expand homeowner programs.
- Sherrill attracted former Trump supporters by winning key counties and demographics.
- She is willing to work with the federal government for state projects like the Gateway tunnel.
Her remarks were made while she was establishing her administration and as Democrats celebrated victories in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and New York City..
Sherrill had a meeting with Governor Phil Murphy, a Democrat from New Jersey, at his statehouse office to talk about the transition.
When questioned about whether her decisive win against Republican Jack Ciattarelli signified a mandate, the congresswoman responded, “Yes, I do, a big one.”
She didn't directly explain how maintaining a centrist stance in a state that has been moving rightward recently aligns with the election of democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, who strongly resonated with The Democrats’ progressive wing, in his role as New York mayor.
Sherrill reiterated her central campaign promise: “The reason I was so focused on affordability issues is because my communities are focused on affordability issues and how they’re going to be successful,” she stated.
She's pledged to employ an executive order to halt monthly electricity costs and indicated a desire to broaden a scheme for new homeowners.
Her campaign speech heavily featured Trump’s tariffs, labeling them “a worldwide extortion racket,” and portraying him as the primary opponent in the election.
Sherrill said she had not spoken to Trump yet but was “certainly” willing to work on getting federal money into the state, particularly on the Gateway rail tunnel project connecting the state with Manhattan. Funding for the initiative has been halted by The Trump administration during the ongoing government closure.
Sherrill's victory over Ciattarelli saw her win counties that had previously supported Republicans in the previous year's presidential contest and in prior gubernatorial elections.
According to the AP Voter Poll, a comprehensive poll of over 4,000 New Jersey voters, she demonstrated a robust showing with nonwhite voters, securing approximately 70% of their support. This offers a hopeful outlook for Democrats, who have aimed to regain support from nonwhite voters following Trump's inroads with this demographic in 2024. Sherrill secured approximately half of the state's white electorate, a demographic constituting seven out of every ten voters.
Approximately 90% of Black voters backed Sherrill, with a similar proportion, around 80%, of Asian voters also supporting her. While Hispanic voters showed more division, approximately two-thirds of them backed Sherrill. Just about 30% of Hispanic voters cast their ballot for Ciattarelli.
Last year, Trump saw gains with Black and Hispanic voters, notably in New Jersey, narrowing the Democratic margin of victory from 16 points in 2020 to a mere 6 percentage points.
The survey also offered insights into economic communication strategies.
Approximately seven out of ten voters who reported their family's financial situation as “falling behind.” Cast their ballot for Sherrill. This demographic accounted for roughly a quarter of all voters, as indicated by the survey.
“What I saw was that our message was resonating,” she said.
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Linley Sanders, an Associated Press writer in Washington, provided contributions to this report.