Mikie Sherrill

Rebecca Michelle "Mikie" Sherrill ( ; born January 19, 1972) is an American politician, former naval pilot, and former federal prosecutor serving as the 57th governor of New Jersey since 2026. A member of the Democratic Party, she is New Jersey's first Democratic female governor. Before becoming governor, Sherrill was the U.S. representative for  from 2019 to 2025.

She defeated Republican nominee Jack Ciattarelli in the 2025 election, becoming the first Democratic woman elected New Jersey governor.

 Early life and education 
Sherrill was born in Alexandria, Virginia. She was raised in Reston, Virginia. In 1994, she earned her B.S. from the United States Naval Academy. In 2003, Sherrill graduated from the London School of Economics. In 2004, she studied at the American University in Cairo. In 2007, Sherrill earned a Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center.

 Military career 
Sherrill wanted to be a pilot from a young age because of her grandfather's service in World War II. She was among the flight school graduates in the first class of women eligible for direct assignment to fly combat aircraft. She was a U.S. Navy helicopter pilot. Sherrill flew missions throughout Europe and in the Middle East. In 2000, she was based in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Sherrill served on active duty in the United States Navy for nine years, the final five in the rank of Lieutenant.Ballotpedia, Encyclopedia of American Politics, Bio of Mikie Sherrill. Retrieved July 1, 2020. In 2003 Sherrill was nominated for promotion to the rank of Lieutenant Commander. She left the Navy in 2003.

 Law career 
In 2007, while earning her Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University Law Center, Sherrill was a summer associate at Kirkland & Ellis. 

After leaving Kirkland & Ellis, Sherrill joined the United States Attorneys' Office. In 2015, Sherrill became an assistant United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey. She left that office in 2016.

 U.S. House of Representatives 
On May 11, 2017, Sherrill announced her campaign for New Jersey's 11th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives. Her campaign was supported by The New York Times.
In June 2018, Sherrill won the Democratic primary with 77% of the vote. On November 6, Sherrill beat Republican Jay Webber with 56.8% of the vote to Webber's 42.1%. Sherrill is the first Democrat to win this seat since 1984. She would be re-elected in 2020, 2022 and 2024.

Following her election, Sherrill joined the moderate New Democrat Coalition. She also joined the Blue Dog Coalition, a caucus of moderate and conservative House Democrats. 

In 2019, Sherrill was against the first impeachment of President Donald Trump at first, but she changed her mind in September after it was revealed that Trump pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate then-former Vice President Joe Biden. She supported a second impeachment of Trump after the 2021 United States Capitol attack. 

On July 9, 2024, Sherrill became the seventh House member to publicly support President Joe Biden to drop out of the 2024 United States presidential election after his debate against former President Trump.

After winning the 2025 gubernatorial election, Sherrill announced on November 18, 2025 that she would resign from her seat on November 20.

2025 gubernatorial election

On November 12, 2024, Sherrill announced her candidacy for the Democratic nomination for governor in the 2025 gubernatorial election. In June 2025, Sherrill won the Democratic nomination. Among the candidates she beat in the Democratic primary included Newark mayor Ras Baraka and U.S. Representative Josh Gottheimer.

After winning the Democratic nomination, Sherrill faced Republican Jack Ciattarelli in the general election. CBS News reported that National Archives and Records Administration had released a mostly uncensored version of Sherrill's military records to Nicholas De Gregorio, an ally of Ciattarelli. CBS News also found that Sherrill's congressional campaign had lied about her military rank, but did not find instances of Sherrill personally doing so.

Sherrill would go on to beat Ciattarelli in the November general election, winning 56.2% of the vote. She is the second woman elected as New Jersey's governor, the first Democratic female governor and the first female military veteran to be a governor of any American state.

Governor of New Jersey
Sherrill was sworn in on January 20, 2026, in a ceremony at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark. This is the first time that a new governor was inaugurated outside the state capital of Trenton since William Livingston, the state's first governor.

 Personal life 
Sherrill is married to Jason Hedberg. The couple has lived in Montclair with their four children since 2010. Sherrill is Roman Catholic.

References

Other websites

 Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill official U.S. House website
Mikie Sherrill for Congress 

Category:1972 births
Category:Living people
Category:United States representatives from New Jersey
Category:Lawyers from New Jersey
Category:Lawyers from Virginia
Category:Politicians from Alexandria, Virginia
Category:Democratic Party (United States) politicians
Category:Military people from New Jersey
Category:Military people from Virginia
Category:People from Montclair, New Jersey
Category:Governors of New Jersey