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Dem gubernatorial candidate slammed as the ‘Kamala Harris of New Jersey’ as election slides into home stretch
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New Jersey Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rep. Mikie Sherrill is facing criticisms that she is the «Kamala Harris of New Jersey» as the Garden State enters its final leg of an election cycle that will either flip it red or elect a likely next star for the Democratic Party.
Sherrill is in the midst of a tight race against her Republican opponent, Jack Ciattarelli, whose campaign has slammed Sherrill as similar to former Vice President Kamala Harris for occasional gaffes, claims she shies away from public events and for allegedly running a «choreographed» campaign.
«There’s similarities (between Sherrill and Harris) in that they both are incapable of answering basic questions and seem to have a penchant for putting their foot in their mouth,» Chris Russell, a New Jersey GOP consultant who works with the Ciattarelli campaign, told the New York Post earlier in September. They «hide from the press, hide from the public (and are) very, very managed and choreographed.»
The Democratic Party is currently seeking out its next big-name stars after Harris failed to rally enough support at the 2024 ballot box to defeat President Donald Trump, leaving the party in a tailspin as it looks for fresh leadership going into the midterms. New Jersey and Virginia are the only states holding gubernatorial elections in 2025, providing Sherrill and Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Rep. Abigail Spanberger, the platform to potentially become new Democratic powerhouses if they prove victorious come election day.
DEM GUBERNATORIAL NOMINEE HIT WITH ACCUSATIONS OF NEPOTISM OVER CHILDREN’S ACCEPTANCE INTO NAVAL ACADEMY
Republican candidate Jack Ciattarelli, left, shakes hands with Democratic candidate for governor Mikie Sherrill, right, before a debate Sept. 21, 2025, in Lawrenceville, N.J. (Noah K. Murray/The Associated Press)
Fox News Digital took a look at Sherrill’s professional and political background and found a handful of similarities with the former vice president as she looks to keep the Garden State blue.
Sherrill first was elected to the U.S. House in 2018, flipping the 11th District seat away from the Republicans as part of that election year’s blue wave. Similar to Harris notching firsts as a woman in high-profile roles — most notably becoming the first female vice president in 2020 — Sherrill’s 2018 election cemented her as the first female to represent the 11th District.
Sherrill, who is a military veteran, also worked as a prosecutor in the days leading up to jumping into politics. She earned her law degree from Georgetown University before working at a New York City law firm and joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey as a federal prosecutor in 2015, according to her biography.
Harris also served as a prosector ahead of running for elected office, launching her career in the Alameda County, California, District Attorney’s Office as a deputy district attorney in 1990. In the late 1990s, she moved over to the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office as assistant district attorney, then to the San Francisco city attorney’s office, before running in 2004 to become San Francisco’s top cop.
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Unlike Harris, Sherrill is a U.S. Navy veteran and former Sea King helicopter pilot who spent more than nine years on active duty in the United States Navy. She left the Navy in 2003 at the rank of lieutenant and went into law school, according to her congressional biography.
Sherrill has come under fire from her Republican challenger’s campaign for reportedly ducking public events and media interviews in favor of running an alleged «choreographed» campaign. A review of Sherrill’s campaign website’s «events» section Tuesday did not yield upcoming campaign events and speeches from Sherrill, but instead focused on volunteering events, such as door knocking and working phone banks.
New Jersey Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rep. Mikie Sherrill is facing criticisms that she is the «Kamala Harris of New Jersey.» (Camille Cohen/AFP via Getty Images)
Sherrill did join MSNBC Monday evening, took part in a meet and greet with Jewish voters Sunday, celebrated the Hindu holiday of Navratri in Jersey City that same day, as well as addressed South Jersey voters and union members at various events earlier in September, according to a review of her campaign’s Facebook page.
Harris was accused of avoiding the media in her first weeks as the Democratic presidential nominee in 2024. She worked to rally support for 39 days without a media interview before joining a CNN sit-down interview Aug. 29, 2024, while accompanied by then-running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
A review of Ciattarelli’s campaign website shows he has nine upcoming events listed across the state, including rallies, meet and greets and «business stops» at local shops.
New Jersey Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli is interviewed by Fox News Digital in Pine Hill, N.J., on June 2, 2025. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
Sherrill and Ciattarelli both took part in the election cycle’s first gubernatorial debate earlier in September at Rider University, where the two sparred over the state’s notoriously high taxes, abortion and immigration. The pair is set to return to the debate stage Oct. 8.
Similar to Harris, Sherrill also has a strong campaign platform vowing to protect abortion access, including noting on her campaign website that she supports «enshrining the right to an abortion in New Jersey’s state constitution to permanently protect reproductive freedom.»
Harris was the first known sitting vice president to visit an abortion provider back in 2024, and repeatedly championed abortion access while on the campaign trail.
The New Jersey Democrat also has faced campaign attacks for «gaffes,» including in May when she tripped over her words when asked in an interview what top piece of legislation she would like to pass.
REPUBLICAN AIMING TO FLIP BLUE STATE RIPS DEM RIVAL FOR BLAMING ‘EVERYTHING ON TRUMP’
«That’s a really good question, ’cause there’s so many that are coming to mind right now,» she responded, before adding that she would like to see a federal block grant program to fund «key programs» in New Jersey, including in the «healthcare area.»
Ciattarelli’s campaign has since used the segment of the interview in ads to slam Sherrill as having «no plans» to lead the state.
«She’s a gaffe machine, frankly,» Russell added in a comment to the New York Post earlier in September.
«Mikie has gotten support from fellow veterans to seniors to families struggling to make ends meet to young people hoping to build their future in New Jersey,» campaign spokesperson Sam Chan told the New York Post. ( Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Harris frequently came under scrutiny for «word salads» during public events, which included using repetitive or confusing phrases such as «unburdened by what has been» and «children of the community are children of the community.»
Fox News Digital reached out to Sherrill’s campaign Tuesday afternoon for comment but did not immediately receive a reply.
«Mikie has gotten support from fellow veterans to seniors to families struggling to make ends meet to young people hoping to build their future in New Jersey,» Sherrill campaign spokesperson Sam Chan told the New York Post.
«Jack’s campaign is desperate because Mikie is fighting for every New Jersey family and Jack is only out for himself and follows Trump’s lead without a shred of independence,» Chan added of Ciattarelli, who is in the midst of his third run for New Jersey governor.
The gubernatorial race is heating up in its final month as Ciattarelli works to close a polling gap in the historically blue state. Current Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy is term limited and unable to run for re-election. Chris Christie served as New Jersey’s last GOP governor, serving from 2010 to 2018.
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Sherrill is in the midst of facing a campaign scandal after a report in September revealed that the United States Naval Academy blocked Sherrill from taking part in her graduation amid the cheating scandal. The three New Jersey Republicans in the U.S. House are demanding Sherrill release her military records connected to the major cheating scandal at the Naval Academy in 1994.
Democrats have since called for an investigation into the release of Sherrill’s files after it was revealed the National Personnel Records Center released Sherrill’s improperly redacted military personnel files, which included private information such as her social security number, to a Ciattarelli ally.
Sherrill has slammed the release of the report and said she was banned from walking at her graduation because she declined to report classmates who were involved in the scandal.
new jersey,elections,kamala harris,democrats
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The Democrats are taking a big gamble by going along with a government shutdown, one that they will probably lose.
The most important reason is that President Trump has a giant megaphone. Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer simply can’t compete in drawing media attention.
What’s more, while some Americans may blame both sides – can’t they act like adults and work out these budget fights? – the Republicans are blaming the «Democrat Party» for triggering the shutdown.
At yesterday’s White House briefing, itself a key advantage, JD Vance and Karoline Leavitt kept repeating, like a mantra, that the Democrats support «healthcare for illegal aliens.» That is bunk. They aren’t eligible. It’s already against the law, except in emergency situations. But Trump is pounding that message home through sheer repetition.
VANCE BLAMES SCHUMER’S FEAR OF AOC PRIMARY CHALLENGE AS SHUTDOWN CAUSE
Democratic leadership sits at a sizable disadvantage when it comes to government shutdown-related messaging. (J. Scott Applewhite, file/AP Photo)
A Washington Post editorial yesterday says «Democrats just marched into a shutdown trap … Progressives embraced the same disastrous mentality that led the House Freedom Caucus to believe it could come out ahead in previous government funding standoffs: They wrongly assumed their political leverage would withstand the ensuing fallout.»
A few minutes after the briefing, Hakeem Jeffries stepped before the microphones to declare that Republicans don’t want to provide healthcare «to working-class Americans.»
The minority leader said the administration is trying to «jam their extreme right-wing agenda down the throats of the American people … The Republican healthcare crisis is immoral.»
Frankly, it just didn’t sound as forceful or have the same impact.
Vice President JD Vance suggested Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is pivoting left for fear of a primary challenge by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. (Alex Brandon, Pool/AP Photo)
Whatever the immediate toll of the shutdown – military people and hundreds of thousands of civilians not getting paid, food stamps on hold – Vance and Leavitt blamed it on Democratic intransigence. (Those laid off will get back pay once the shutdown ends.)
The vice president said Schumer is moving left because he’s terrified of a primary challenge by AOC. She says her only goal is to «stop this madness.»
The president has been more candid, telling reporters: «We can do things during the shutdown that are irreversible, that are bad for them and irreversible by them. Like cutting vast numbers of people out, cutting things that they like, cutting programs that they like.» Now that’s transparency.
The Dems don’t hold the moral high ground when it comes to kick-the-can votes to delay a shutdown, having frequently used the tactic when they were in charge. While Vance says they’d be happy to talk about healthcare during a seven-week delay, the other party feels they would lose whatever leverage they have, and it would be politically humiliating.
The Democrats are making a more complicated argument about healthcare, and that’s a tougher sell for the many millions who don’t follow the news closely.
KFF, which is Kaiser, says those on Obamacare would get socked if tax credits are allowed to expire at year’s end. Average premiums next year would be $888, but without the tax credits, would jump to $1,593 – a 114 percent increase.
That would really cripple the Affordable Care Act and knock millions off the rolls.
SOCIAL SECURITY, AIRPORTS, FOOD STAMPS: HOW ARE YOU AFFECTED DURING A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN?
The Dems’ other objection is to deep cuts in Medicaid, despite Trump’s promise to protect the program. But that’s why we have elections. Having lost the House, Senate and White House, the party can’t expect the GOP to make sweeping changes to its preferred budget.
It just so happens – a coincidence, I’m sure – that the administration yesterday halted $18 billion in funding for two major transportation projects in New York City, expansion of the Second Avenue subway and new train tunnels under the Hudson River.
A shot at Schumer’s hometown? Vance says this is a question of «triage,» saving money on such projects to preserve essential services.
But it’s really a case of Trump going after Democratic priorities, as he said he would, since he preserved funding for one of his pet projects, the mission of returning to the moon, which seems less than vital at the moment.
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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., appeared outraged by an AI image of him shared online by the president. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu/Getty Images)
What really got Jeffries mad after Monday’s unsuccessful White House meeting was a fake AI image posted by the president. It depicted him as having a handlebar mustache and wearing a huge sombrero, with mariachi music in the background.
Jeffries called the parody «racist» and demanded that the president «say it to my face.»
The bottom line, given the atmosphere of mutual distrust, is that this government closure could drag on for awhile. That would gradually boost the pain level, and the Democrats are already at a disadvantage.
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At this point the opposition party is trying to show the public that it can fight, and that, beyond the healthcare battle, may be its main message.
media buzz,donald trump,chuck schumer,congress,white house,government shutdown
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La misteriosa muerte del embajador de Sudáfrica en Francia al caer desde un piso 22: ¿Suicidio o asesinato?
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EXCLUSIVE: Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is accusing Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., of refusing to vote to end the government shutdown to kowtow to his left-wing base.
Johnson told Fox News Digital in a sit-down interview that Democrats’ refusal to budge on their current position came up in an hour-long call with President Donald Trump Wednesday afternoon.
«[Trump is] very bothered by that, that Chuck Schumer would do this, Democrats would do this, because we haven’t,» the top House Republican said.
He noted that Democrats had voted on a similar measure to what Republicans are offering on 13 different occasions under former President Joe Biden.
SOCIAL SECURITY, AIRPORTS, FOOD STAMPS: HOW ARE YOU AFFECTED DURING A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN?
House Speaker Mike Johnson, right, is criticizing Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s, left, for refusing to agree to a GOP-led plan to avert a government shutdown. (Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images; Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
«And even when the Republicans were in the minority, we did the right thing to keep the government open. And we fully expected that Schumer would do that again, as he always has, but not this time,» Johnson said.
«This is a selfish political calculation he’s made, that he’s got to prove to the far left that he’s going to fight Trump or something. So, we talked about our frustration with that.»
He said Trump appeared «happy» that Republicans remain unified in their federal funding stance but was concerned about the effects of a prolonged shutdown on everyday Americans.
REPUBLICANS ERUPT OVER SHUTDOWN CHAOS, ACCUSE DEMS OF HOLDING GOVERNMENT ‘HOSTAGE’
«But the reason we’re happy about that is because we know we’re doing the right thing for the American people,» Johnson said. «And Chuck Schumer and the Democrats are demonstrating that they are willing to inflict this pain upon the people for their own political purposes. And I think that is a tough thing for them to get over.»
He said of a meeting between congressional leaders and Trump that occurred Monday: «I tried my best in the White House, and he just is in no mood to have a real discussion about these issues. So, we are where we are.»
President Donald Trump, right, salutes Air Force Col. Christopher M. Robinson, commander, 89th Airlift Wing, before boarding Marine One upon his arrival at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, Friday, Sept. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)
Senate Democrats have now rejected a GOP-led plan to fund federal agencies through Nov. 21 three times.
The measure is called a continuing resolution (CR) and is aimed at buying House and Senate negotiators more time to reach a deal on fiscal year 2026 federal funding priorities.
The CR would keep current federal funding levels roughly flat while adding an extra $88 million in security spending for lawmakers, the White House and the judicial branch.
Democrats, furious at being largely sidelined in funding discussions, have signaled they would not accept any bill that does not also extend Obamacare tax subsidies that were enhanced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Those enhanced subsidies are due to expire at the end of this year.
But Johnson, who called the Obamacare subsidies an «end-of-year issue,» argued that the bill was a simple extension of federal funding, leaving Republicans with no realistic path for concessions.
Sen. Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., speaks with reporters near his office on Capitol Hill Sept. 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)
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«If it was not clean and simple, if I had loaded it up with a bunch of Republican partisan priorities, then there would be something for us to negotiate. I could take those things off and offer it again. I sent it over with nothing attached at all,» he said.
«It quite literally is just buying us time to finish the appropriations process, which was being done in a bipartisan manner. So, I don’t have anything to give, there’s nothing I can give. And Chuck Schumer has made such outrageous counter-demands and proposals that he’s the one that has to come to his senses.»
He was referring to Democrats’ counter-proposal for a CR, which would have repealed the Medicaid reforms made in Republicans’ One Big, Beautiful Bill, while restoring funding for NPR and PBS that was cut by the Trump administration earlier this year.
Fox News Digital reached out to Schumer’s office for a response but did not hear back by press time.
house of representatives politics,politics,senate,government shutdown
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