Rep.Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ11) has won re-election to a second term in Congress. Sherrill was first elected to the district that includes Verona in 2018.
Sherrill thanked her supporters via Facebook Live on Tuesday evening, noting that it has not been easy campaigning during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“New Jersey, we have been neither summer soldiers or springtime patriots,” Sherrill said, echoing the words of Thomas Paine, one of the most influential writers of the Revolution. “We’ve been winter soldiers, saving fast and our duty to our nation, and to our children. Not only have we cried out against the injustice of systemic racism, attacks on the health care of millions and unjust taxation system. But we’ve done more. We’ve kept faith and the values that define us as a country.”
“We reminded the country that New Jersey is compassionate,” Sherrill added. “And these values–bravery, unity, compassion–they shouldn’t just be New Jersey values. These are American values. These are the standards we work to live up to, and that we want to pass on to our children.”
According to NJSpotlight.com, Sherrill defeated Republican candidate Rosemary Becchi by about 19 percentage points, widening the margin of victory she achieved in 2018 when she handily defeated State Assemblyman Jay Webber to win the seat that had long been occupied by Rodney Frelinghuysen. Becchi, a corporate lobbyist by background, ran an underfunded campaign on a platform that largely echoed the positions of President Donald Trump.
Sherrill, a Naval Academy graduate and former federal prosecutor, has served on two key committees during her first term in Congress, the House Armed Services Committee and the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee. She has regularly reached across the aisle to gather bipartisan support for introducing and passing legislation, including the Election Technology Research Act, and the usage of telemedicine in Medicare. She repeatedly pushed for improvements to the federal CARES Act to aid small businesses in the district during the COVID-19 pandemic. She secured $7.9 million in CARE Act grants for the district.
As of 10:25 p.m. Tuesday night Sherrill had about a two-to-one lead over Becchi in Essex County, with 63.9% of the countywide vote for Sherrill and 36% for Becchi.
Sherrill thanked her opponent for stepping up to run. “Putting yourself into the arena and running for office is not easy,” Sherrill said. “It’s especially hard as a woman and I am grateful that we live in a democracy where candidates are able to share their vision and run for office.”
Speaking before the presidential race had been called nationwide, Sherrill also said that there would be hard work for all in the years ahead. “These next two years are going to require big ideas and bold leadership,” she said. “We’re going to put this nation forward with ideas that will ensure the prosperity of our families. Over the next several decades. Today marks the beginning of a new future for our country.”
