Mikie Sherrill

DemocratGovernor of New Jersey

Age	54 (b. 1972-01-19)
Gender	Female
In office since	2026-01-01 (~0 yrs)
Race / ethnicity	White (Irish-American)
Religion	Catholic
Education	B.S., United States Naval Academy (1994); M.Sc. in International and World History, London School of Economics (2003); Certificate in Arabic, American University in Cairo (2004); J.D., Georgetown University Law Center (2007)
Prior occupation	U.S. Navy helicopter pilot (H-3 Sea King) and Russian policy officer; litigation associate at Kirkland & Ellis; Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of New Jersey
Military service	Yes: United States Navy (Lieutenant)
Birthplace	Alexandria, Virginia
Languages	English; studied Arabic (Certificate, American University in Cairo, 2004); served as a Russian policy officer in the Navy
Marital status	Married — Jason Hedberg
Children	4
Residence	Montclair, New Jersey

Wikipedia

Pending research: notable relatives · openly lgbtq.

Career & politics

First elected	2018
Previous offices	U.S. Representative, New Jersey's 11th Congressional District (2019-2025)
Caucuses	New Democrat Coalition · Blue Dog Coalition (2019-2023) · Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues · Congressional Equality Caucus · Black Maternal Health Caucus · Congressional Ukraine Caucus · For Country Caucus
Leadership	57th Governor of New Jersey (2026-present) · New Democrat Coalition freshman whip
Ideology	Moderate Democrat; member of the New Democrat Coalition and former Blue Dog Coalition member; part of the centrist 'mod squad' (with Slotkin and Spanberger); voted with President Biden's position 100% of the time in the 117th Congress per FiveThirtyEight.
Signature legislation	Leading House role on the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act · Advocacy to restore the State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction cap · Federal funding for the Gateway rail tunnel project · State Opioid Response Grant Authorization Act (co-led with Rep. David Trone) · Bipartisan legislation addressing PFAS contamination in drinking water

Financial

Net worth: disclosed $4,840,076–$13,975,000 (2024) · estimate

iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF	fund · –$250,000 · 2020
Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Growth ETF	fund · –$250,000 · 2020
SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 Growth ETF	fund · –$250,000 · 2020
Fidelity Dividend ETF for Rising Rates	fund · –$250,000 · 2020
Victorian residence in Montclair, New Jersey (7-bedroom on over one acre)	real_estate · 2024

Top donors: Verizon Communications ($28,854)

Top industries: Securities & Investment · Lawyers/Law Firms · Retired

Scandals & crimes ledger

resolved — U.S. Naval Academy Honor Code/Conduct Sanction Over 1992 Cheating Scandal

ethics-violation · 1994-05-01 · As a midshipman at the U.S. Naval Academy, Sherrill was implicated in the fallout from a December 1992 cheating scandal in which an electrical engineering exam was obtained and circulated in advance to hundreds of midshipmen in her class (reportedly seen by more than 400 of the 663 who took it). Roughly two dozen midshipmen were expelled for direct participation in the cheating. Sherrill has said she was not accused of cheating on the exam itself, but was sanctioned for declining to identify classmates involved when questioned by investigators, a 'toleration'/conduct offense under the Academy's honor system. As punishment, she was barred from marching in her class's graduation procession in 1994, though she was allowed to graduate and be commissioned. The matter resurfaced publicly during her 2025 gubernatorial campaign, when a former classmate publicly disputed her account of the extent of her involvement, and conflicting details of her explanation drew press scrutiny. · Barred from marching in graduation ceremony (lesser punishment than expulsion); permitted to graduate and receive commission

While a midshipman, Sherrill received a formal Naval Academy conduct sanction (exclusion from the graduation march) tied to the 1992-94 Academy-wide cheating scandal, after she declined to name classmates involved when questioned; she was not accused of cheating on the exam herself. The episode, first reported years ago, drew renewed press scrutiny in 2025-2026 amid her run for and service as New Jersey governor, including a classmate's public dispute of her account.

Sources: New Jersey Globe · Military.com · Fox News

resolved — STOCK Act Late Disclosure Violation — $200 Fine

campaign-finance · 2021 · U.S. House of Representatives (STOCK Act administrative fine process) · Administrative fine paid; Sherrill's office called it an inadvertent mistake and proactively paid the late fee

Sherrill failed to timely disclose up to $350,000 in her husband's UBS stock sales, missing the STOCK Act's 45-day reporting deadline. The House assessed an administrative fine — reported variously as $200 or $400 — for the late filing. Sherrill's office said the omission was inadvertent; she had already divested from individual stocks and proactively paid the fine. She was one of roughly 50–63 members fined for STOCK Act violations that year.

Sources: Patch / NJ · Yahoo News / NJ media