A Bolder Mikie Sherrill Tests A New Playbook In Trenton

While running for governor of New Jersey, Mikie Sherrill was criticized as “too careful” on the trail and equivocating on issues with “word salad” answers.

Few Democrats have said that about Sherrill in her first 100 days in office.

Elected in a landslide almost no polls predicted, Sherrill has positioned herself as a blue state check to the increasingly-unpopular President Donald Trump while picking fights with even her own party on affordability-related issues.

Derided by Republicans as “Phil Murphy 2.0,” Sherrill has even broken with her soccer-loving predecessor in perhaps her highest-profile move yet: charging $150 for train tickets to World Cup games. In justifying it as a way to keep New Jerseyans from being stuck with infrastructure costs for an event whose economic benefit to the state is murky, she’s picked a fight with FIFA, the global soccer organization that has been currying favor with Trump.

After building a reputation as a mainstream Democrat with bipartisan appeal in her eight years in Congress, a more aggressive Sherrill has emerged as governor.

“I’m very pleased that she’s not afraid to mix it up,” said Democratic state Sen. John Burzichelli. “She’s been very clear about how she feels about policies out of Washington affecting New Jersey, and stepping in with a loud voice on the soccer games played at the Meadowlands.”

But to some Republicans, Sherrill’s fighting words are just a show that masks the status quo in action while trying to position her for an even higher office. “She’s polished and she’s not getting anything done because I think her team is worried about her national image,” said Assemblymember Dawn Fantasia.

And some Democrats offer criticism. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, who ran in the Democratic primary for governor to Sherrill’s left, said that her Cabinet isn’t diverse enough and that he’d like to see her institute additional taxes and fees on the wealthy and corporations. He praised her actions on immigration, but said: “I’m a little disappointed about the way the Cabinet looks. I wish the Cabinet was a little bit more reflective of the people of the state. She has time to make some changes."

Here’s a look at Sherill’s big actions since taking office on Jan. 20.

A check on Trump

Sherrill’s 14-point win in November was a major Democratic snap-back for New Jersey, which Democrat Kamala Harris carried by just 6 points in 2024’s presidential election.

There were concerns that New Jersey, solidly blue in federal elections for more than 30 years, had turned purple. But Sherrill’s win showed 2024 was an anomaly, not the new rule. And in her inaugural speech, Sherrill made clear that New Jersey would be a bulwark of resistance to the Trump administration.

“The list of grievances in our Declaration of Independence included these charges against the king: He has refused his assent to laws. He has obstructed the administration of justice. He has made judges dependent on his will alone. He has kept among us, in times of peace, standing armies, without the consent of our legislatures,” said Sherrill, whose office declined requests for an interview with her. “This election proved that the people of New Jersey recognize the parallels.”

Sherrill has continued to join a string of blue states in suing over various Trump administration policies from immigration to tariffs. And she racked up a huge win by taking the Trump administration to court for withholding congressionally-appropriated money for $16 billion Gateway Project, the centerpiece of which is a sorely-needed new rail tunnel between New Jersey and New York City.

The lawsuit, filed jointly with New York, quickly paid off and got the funds flowing.

In a statement late Wednesday night, spokesperson Sean Higgins said: "Governor Sherrill hit the ground sprinting during her First 100 Days — moving quickly to deliver on key campaign promises to freeze utility rate hikes, massively expand new power generation, protect Gateway, and make state government more accountable to the people. With Trump sowing chaos in Washington, Governor Sherrill is charting a different path in New Jersey focused on expanding opportunity for the middle class."

Snow storms

Just days after Sherrill took the oath of office, New Jersey was hit by a blizzard. A month later, by another.

Severe snow events tripped up both of Sherrill’s predecessors, Democrat Phil Murphy and Republican Chris Christie, during each of their first years in office. Murphy took heat over the state being caught unprepared for a November 2018 rush hour storm that was stronger than expected, stranding thousands of commuters on untreated roads for hours. Christie in December 2010 did not return to New Jersey from a family vacation to Disney World to handle a blizzard.

But Sherrill, who had days notice of the storms, stayed in New Jersey and could not be accused of not warning residents. During the lead up to both storms, she made dozens of local media appearances. There were few complaints about the state of the roads.

Even Fantasia, a frequent Sherrill critic, gave Sherrill credit for the storm response. “I thought she handled those well, communicated with the Legislature well and the office of emergency management,” Fantasia said.

Immigration

During the final stretch of the campaign, Sherrill was hesitant to fully embrace New Jersey’s “Immigrant Trust Directive,” a Murphy administration policy limiting local law enforcement's cooperation with federal immigration enforcement — which displeased some in the immigrant rights community at the time.

But two months into office, she signed legislation making the directive permanent. She also signed bills limiting immigration data government and health facilities can collect and banning most law enforcement wearing masks.

“It is Donald Trump who's making this a big priority and New Jersey is exercising its rights as a state to fight back against the abuses of Washington, D.C.,” said Patricia Campos-Medina, a longtime progressive organizer in the state who advised the Sherrill campaign. “We don't want to see another Minnesota, or another round of those abuses.”

Still, some immigrant rights activists protested that the the Immigrant Trust Directive bill had been too watered down, while Republicans jeered the anti-mask bill as an illegal attempt by the state to usurp federal authority. Some immigration agents still remain masked in enforcement actions that have captured widespread attention.

“It’s campaign fluff. Like trying to tell them they can’t wear masks. How incredibly stupid. We can’t control that,” said Fantasia.

The Sherrill administration is also in court with the Trump administration on two key immigration issues. The state is trying to prevent a warehouse being converted into a major immigration detention facility, and the Trump administration is suing Sherrill over an executive order that prohibits immigration authorities on state properties without a warrant.

Looming budget fight with fellow Democrats

The biggest test of Sherrill’s promise to upend the status quo in Trenton is coming this June, where she must negotiate her state spending plan with Democrats who control the state Legislature.

In her budget address, Sherrill said she wanted to end the practice of “last-minute giveaways” in the state budget — pejoratively referred to as “pork” or “Christmas tree” spending. While such add-ons are typically a small amount of state spending relative to the entire budget, it remains largely important for Democratic lawmakers who want to steer money to pet projects.

Democratic lawmakers have pushed back — albeit diplomatically — defending the so-called Christmas tree items. The key question is now whether Sherrill will stick to her position of stopping the last-minute spending or compromise with lawmakers to get her spending plan through.

Sherrill is also proposing to significantly roll back a property tax relief program for seniors, which currently provides up to $6,500 in benefits for those making up to $500,000. The program was ushered in by Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, although it is unclear what appetite there is to meaningfully pare back the program.

World Cup

New Jersey will host the final games of the World Cup tournament, which presents two challenges for Sherrill: How to ensure the games run smoothly and also ensure that New Jersey taxpayers aren’t left holding the bag for the costs of the games.

It is still to be determined whether the state government can meet the moment to ensure transportation and security at the games runs smoothly. But Sherrill is proposing a number of ways to send more money to state coffers from the games — which have proven to be controversial.

Sherrill is now proposing to increase train tickets to the World Cup from $12.90 to $150 — which has been met with opposition from FIFA and New York officials. She also wants temporary taxes around the games, like increasing hotel, ride share and online gaming taxes.

Her critics note that her plan would temporarily increase the sales tax in the immediate vicinity of the games — even though she promised during the campaign to not increase the sales tax.

Energy

Sherrill wasted no time addressing one of her key campaign promises to freeze utility rates — signing two executive orders during her inaugural address. While these orders don’t exactly freeze rates, they do offset bill increases.

The Board of Public Utilities has been implementing other parts of her executive orders, moving to hire a consultant and opening up a public comment period as part of its study on the utility business model. Those comments are due May 29. The BPU is also expanding solar and battery storage programs in the state.

Sherrill signed a bill to pave the way for new nuclear generation and one to expand transmission-scale battery storage.

The governor has also been joining in with other governors in grid operator PJM’s territory to advocate for reforms at the grid operator. Electric rates will remain relatively flat in the state this summer thanks to a two-year extension of a price cap amid pressure from the White House and PJM governors.

Ry Rivard and Mona Zhang contributed to this article.