Some Democrats are reportedly worried Democratic New Jersey Rep. Mikie Sherrill may not garner strong support from black and Hispanic voters in the Garden State’s upcoming gubernatorial election, The Hill reported on Saturday.
New Jersey Democrats are concerned that Sherrill may under-perform in the state’s gubernatorial election if there is a lackluster minority turnout, The Hill reported. The report comes after the Republican Party gained millions of registered voters between 2020 and 2024, while the Democratic Party lost roughly 2.1 million registered voters during the same time period.
Sherrill’s campaign did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
“I believe that although our next governor has to represent the entire state — and we’re okay with that — but where [do] black people land in the conversation? We should be at the top of the food chain, particularly from the Democratic Party side,” Dr. John Harmon, founder, president and CEO of the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey, said Saturday, The Hill reported.
“I don’t want to bring President [Donald] Trump into this conversation, but I will say whether you love him or hate him, he’s doing what he says he’s going to do,” Harmon later told The Hill, adding that that is what New Jersey voters want from their next governor.
Meanwhile, one anonymous New Jersey Democratic strategist told The Hill that black and Hispanic voter turnout in New Jersey’s gubernatorial race is a “real concern” for the Democratic Party.
“The same apathy or the same turnout concern that we saw what happened in November — I think it’s a real concern, especially with black and brown voters for this cycle,” the Democratic strategist told the outlet.
“Mikie and her team have done a really good job of trying to go into the communities,” the strategist said, adding, “I don’t know that we’re going to know how well it’s actually resonating until people vote.”
Sean Higgins, a spokesman for Sherrill’s gubernatorial campaign, said in part of a statement provided to The Hill that “Mikie recognizes that economic empowerment strengthens communities of color.”
Several high-profile Democrats have recently been campaigning for Sherrill, including Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar and former Arizona Rep. Gabby Giffords, the New Jersey Monitor reported on Monday. Some Democrats have begun signaling concern that Sherrill has played it “too safe” in her gubernatorial campaign, NJ.com reported the same day.
“People think she’s not running the race that she should be running,” one anonymous Democratic political operative told NJ.com. “They think that she’s playing it too safe, and they think that she’s putting all of her marbles in Trump.”
“That’s a very dangerous thing to do,” the operative continued.
Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, told NJ.com that he thinks Sherrill is running a “milquetoast” campaign.
“We hope Sherrill wins,” Green said. “But it’s looking very likely she underperforms, and it’s because of her milquetoast campaign message.”
Current Democratic New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy is barred from seeking reelection due to term limits. A Fairleigh Dickinson University poll released on Friday showed that Sherrill gained 52% of the vote, while GOP New Jersey gubernatorial nominee Jack Ciattarelli notched 45% of the vote and just 3% of respondents were undecided.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris won New Jersey in the 2024 presidential election, gaining 52% of the vote to Trump’s 46.1%. Trump narrowed the margin from 16 points in the 2020 election to roughly five points last year, The Philadelphia Tribune reported.
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