Mikie Sherrill Op-Ed: Everyone Deserves The American Dream – I Am Running To Make It a Reality
U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill speaks at the Chamber of Commerce of Southern New Jersey Gubernatorial Forum at Resorts Atlantic City on Oct. 10, 2025. Photo by Meredith Winner/Mer-Made Photography
EDITOR’S NOTE: Front Runner New Jersey asked Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Jack Ciattarelli and Democratic Candidate, U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill in person to write an op-ed on how their policies and campaign would positively affect the Black and Latino communities in South Jersey. This is the response from Sherrill.
Op-Ed
BY U.S. REP. MIKIE SHERRILL
In the Navy, we had a saying: Ship, Shipmate, Self. It means that you put the people you serve ahead of yourself, and you come last.
I’m running for governor with those same principles: to serve and be accountable to you. I love New Jersey. But lately, it’s become harder to get by.
Families across New Jersey are feeling the squeeze — costs keep rising, our kids are struggling, and Trenton is holding our state back. I am running to make the American Dream a reality for all New Jerseyans.
That’s why on Day One, I will declare a State of Emergency on Utility Costs to end the rate hikes and expand cheap, clean energy production. My nearly decade of service in the Navy taught me to find a way or make one.
That’s the same mentality I will bring to my mission to lower your energy bills. We know tackling utility costs isn’t enough — we will never build a more affordable Garden State without making housing more affordable.
That’s why I will expand first-time homebuyer assistance to build generational wealth and crack down on landlords and predatory lenders to lower the cost of rents and mortgages.
We also need to grapple with longstanding disparities in our state. I will strengthen Nurture NJ and the Maternal and Infant Health Innovation Authority to tackle maternal health challenges and invest in a culturally competent healthcare workforce, including doulas and midwives.
It’s also unacceptable that minority-owned businesses represent 24% of all businesses in New Jersey, but still receive just 4% of state contracts. My administration won’t stand for this. Just as I did in Congress, where I brought back tens of millions for minority-owned businesses, we will work to invest in local businesses and ensure they get their fair share of state contracts.
That’s why I also rolled out my Save You Time and Money agenda to make it easier to start and grow a business and expand the Business Action Center to better support minority owned businesses.
Finally, I’m a mom raising four kids and I know we need to make investments to make sure all of our kids have a bright future. I will increase mental health resources and my Online Safety Agenda will help keep our kids safe online.
I am the only candidate in this race who promised to fully fund our schools, so all kids, regardless of ZIP code, have access to a world-class education. We know how transformative a quality education is in shaping a child’s future.
That’s why I’ve fought for our schools my entire career. In Congress, I secured millions for K-12 public schools and pushed to provide federal funding for high-impact tutoring to address the pandemic-related learning loss.
As governor, I will work to combat school segregation by funding county-based magnet, vocational, and technical schools that serve a diverse student body, invest in bilingual materials for schools and boost the bilingual teacher pipeline, and invest in tutoring and mental health services to get students on track for success.
Meanwhile, my opponent, Jack Ciattarelli, has defended school segregation and wants to replicate Donald Trump’s push to defund the Department of Education here in New Jersey. His plan will rip away critical funding for students while also raising property taxes.
Jack’s made it clear that he will always put Trump ahead of New Jersey. As Trump makes life more expensive, rips away billions in education and public transit funding, and attacks our rights and freedoms, Jack said Trump is “right about everything,” and has given his cost-raising, fear-mongering, and dangerous presidency an “A” rating. He’s said his job as governor will be to help Trump carry out his extreme agenda.
Not under my watch. I will take on anyone — from Trump to my own party — to protect our state.
Finally, I’m going to be a governor who stands up for our state and never wavers in defense of our rights and freedoms. New Jerseyans deserve to feel safe in their communities, without fear that their constitutional rights will be violated when they go to work and school or just walk down the street.
We are a nation of laws — keeping people safe and getting violent criminals off the street doesn’t need to come at the expense of peoples’ rights. My administration will always uphold the law and ensure all residents have due process. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has shown they have zero regard for the rule of law or the Constitution. That’s why I sponsored a bill to ensure all law enforcement officers are identifiable.
I know just how crucial it is to have trust between our law enforcement and the communities they work in. I learned this firsthand working in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, where I developed programs to increase trust and cooperation between law enforcement and their communities. If we don’t have trust, it makes our communities and our police less safe.
I took my first oath at 18 when I joined the Navy to stand up for the Constitution with everything up to and including my life. My life has been focused on service — service to our country, to our state, and to you — and that’s exactly how I will govern. I hope to earn your vote and pledge to be a governor who rolls up her sleeves and gets to work delivering for all of New Jersey.
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