Copyright phillyvoice
Prominent Democratic lawmakers are hitting the campaign trail to stump for Rep. Mikie Sherrill in her bid to become New Jersey's next governor, a strategy election observers say is intended to secure the support of voters who loathe President Donald Trump. Former President Barack Obama cut an ad for Sherrill that debuted last week. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and former Rep. Gabby Giffords of Arizona have campaigned in New Jersey for Sherrill. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore went door-knocking with her on Sunday in Newark. And Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer championed Sherrill for union members in Paramus Saturday. SIGN UP HERE to get PhillyVoice's free newsletters delivered to your inbox "I may not be from here, but let me tell you, New Jerseyans are a lot like Michiganders. We work hard, we're tough, we want the best for each other. You're loud, you're proud, and you don't eff around," Whitmer said. "This is a clear choice: We got a guy who's going to get bossed around by D.C, versus a woman who can get sh*t done. We got a bad actor who's willing to sell you out, or a badass Navy pilot who will take on any woman who messes with New Jersey." Dan Cassino, a professor of government and politics at Fairleigh Dickinson University and executive director of the FDU Poll, said enlisting Democrats' most notable national names earns Sherrill media coverage while also helping her overcome lackluster support among some Democratic factions and reinforce her message that she will fight the Trump administration. "She understands that perhaps people aren't excited to vote for her, but they will crawl over broken glass to vote against Donald Trump. And so she's doing everything she can to try and make it seem like voting for Mikie Sherrill is voting against Donald Trump," Cassino said. "If you're trying to nationalize the race, bringing in national figures helps to do that and helps to build her narrative of saying, 'This is a national race, not a local race.'" It's a strategy other Democratic candidates have embraced too, with Jersey City mayoral hopeful Mussab Ali this season touting endorsements from Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) and Ilhan Omar (D-MN). Jack Ciattarelli, Sherrill's Republican rival, has brought in several GOP VIPs, including MAGA influencers like Scott Pressler and Jack Posobiec, who appeared at a Ciattarelli rally earlier this month in Wildwood, and Vivek Ramaswamy, who appeared with Ciattarelli at the Saddle Brook Diner last Wednesday. Posobiec again joined Ciattarelli in Dumont on Sunday. But Ciattarelli, a former state assemblyman, has not had lawmakers with higher name ID at his side the way Sherrill has. Observers say that's probably deliberate. Bringing in national politicians to campaign with him doesn't quite square with Ciattarelli's favorite line that he's a lifelong Jersey guy focused solely on the Garden State while Sherrill is an out-of-stater who may have higher aspirations, said Ashley Koning, a political science professor at Rutgers University and director of its Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling. Many GOP politicians nationally have become so polarizing that inviting them to campaign here becomes a "difficult dance" for Ciattarelli, Koning added. With a moderate Republican at his side, he could irritate the White House, an unwise move considering Trump endorsed him, she said. Yet a more conservative Republican campaigning for him risks alienating undecided voters in a state where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by more than 800,000 and unaffiliated voters comprise over a third of all registered voters, she said. "It is so hard to pinpoint what kind of national Republican would play well with voters in New Jersey right now, because at least historically, we've had a very different brand of Republicanism than is being executed on the national stage right now," Koning said. She added: "Even if they have their party base on their side and with increases in Republican registration, he still likely needs independents to cross the finish line." The Sherrill campaign's choice of backers — moderate Democrats instead of more polarizing politicians like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, — is also likely intentional, Cassino and Koning agreed. "These are obviously kind of popular, or not really controversial, political figures, at least among Democrats and independents," Koning said. While persuading popular lawmakers to stand beside her bolsters Sherrill's cachet as a four-term congresswoman, it also underscores an unsavory reality about politics — money motivates, Cassino said. Donors might be more generous seeing big-name politicians support her, while those politicians might hope Sherrill returns the favor someday, he said. Gateway to Leadership, a Sherrill-affiliated leadership PAC, raised nearly $400,000 in the 2023-24 election cycle and donated tens of thousands of dollars to Democratic candidates and groups, according to OpenSecrets, a nonprofit that tracks campaign finance. "Mikie Sherrill is a very prolific fundraiser, and so other politicians want to be on her good side because she might be giving them money at some point. It's not a quid pro quo, but it is definitely something that makes her more popular and makes people want to come out in support of her," he said. If nothing else, luring big-name politicians to New Jersey can make the race more interesting, said Micah Rasmussen, director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University. Voters from both major parties are used to hearing from state party leaders but don't often get to see or interact with national leaders, he added. "This is a fun chance to meet national figures who they read about, see on TV, and follow on social media," Rasmussen said. "I don't think there's a serious risk for the campaigns — there's always the possibility of backlash for a controversial position or a misspeak, but these are experienced, polished leaders who aren't looking to jam up themselves or anyone else." Whoever the candidates line up to stump for them, though, doesn't signify anything about how the race is going, observers said. "I know we're all trying to read the tea leaves," Cassino said. "But the candidates are just as much in the dark as the rest of us are." Ciattarelli campaign spokesman Eric Arpert said Sherrill's reliance on out-of-state Democratic lawmakers is an attempt to "save her failing final efforts." "She'll never understand the problems we face, and can't be trusted to fix them. Jack's campaign continues to be about delivering the positive change New Jersey so desperately needs, and it's why our momentum and energy continue to grow," he said. Asked in Paramus whether enlisting Democratic lawmakers from other states illustrates Ciattarelli's frequent attack line that he is from New Jersey and she is not, Sherrill said she thinks people "know what I'm focused on." "I have been directly focused on driving down costs for families and running on my record of effectiveness and ruthless confidence, if you will, and of course my opponent continues to run away from his record, while at the same time supporting Trump, who is driving up costs for everyone. That seems to be resonating with people," she said. New Jersey Monitor is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. New Jersey Monitor maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Terrence T. McDonald for questions: info@newjerseymonitor.com.
