As New Jersey gets ever closer to choosing a new governor, the walls may be closing in on gubernatorial candidate Mikie Sherrill (D). As my colleague Sister Toldjah detailed, Sherrill was embroiled in a 1994 U.S. Naval Academy cheating scandal where she was not allowed to walk in commencement with the rest of her class. Sherill claims that she was only penalized because she would not rat out her classmates involved in the scandal, but New Jerseyans don't like the smell of what she's shoveling. Sherrill's Republican opponent, former New Jersey State Rep. Jack Ciattarelli, has called for her school records to be released, but Sherrill has balked at this. Toldjah also reported that Ciattarelli has picked up a key endorsement from Democrat James P. Dodd, the mayor of Dover, NJ.
Read it Here: Let's Go: Alarm Bells for NJ's Mikie Sherrill After New Poll and Another Key Endorsement for Ciattarelli
Big Changes in the Big Three 2025 Elections
Now, in a new Quantum Insights poll of likely voters, the Ciattarelli-Sherrill matchup gets even more interesting. Sherrill's lead is down 10 points from Labor Day, and she only maintains a lead of 2.3 points, within the margin of error. With just a few weeks left in the contest, there is plenty of time for Ciattarelli to move the race into a statistical tie, and even surpass Sherrill.
NEW QUANTUS INSIGHTS POLL | New Jersey Likely Voter Survey | Sept 29–30, 2025
— Quantus Insights (@QuantusInsights) September 30, 2025
📊 Governor’s Race: Sherrill vs. Ciattarelli
🔵 Mikie Sherrill: 48.1% (-1)
🔴 Jack Ciattarelli: 45.8% (+7)
⚪️ Other: 1.6%
🟣Undecided: 4.5%
Lead down from +10 post–Labor Day: Now just +2.3 pts… pic.twitter.com/hbTiA4FjsU
Among independent voters, Ciattarelli has increased his lead by 13 points, the most significant shift in the race since it began. Ciattarelli holds 51 percent of independents versus Sherrill's 38 percent. In the poll question on which candidate voters trust to deliver for New Jersey, it is an even split: 50-50 for each candidate.
The race is clearly tightening, and as it does, Sherrill appears to be the one losing ground. It's not a good look.
What's also not a good look are new revelations that Sherrill's two children received appointments to the highly competitive Naval Academy soon after her own Naval Academy scandal broke.
New Jersey gubernatorial candidate Mikie Sherrill is facing fresh scrutiny following the revelation that her two children were accepted into the highly competitive Naval Academy — days after her campaign was rocked by news of her involvement in a notorious cheating scandal as a midshipman.
The Democratic congresswoman’s office announced in June that her two kids, Lincoln and Margaret Hedberg, were among nine students from her district to land spots in the Naval Academy, which has an admission rate of 9%.
Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and former interim Sen. George Helmy (D-NJ) each nominated one of the two children, The Post has learned. Members of Congress “can have five constituents attending the Naval Academy at any time” and typically nominate 15 candidates for each vacant spot with the option of naming a principal nominee, according to the academy.
Tell me you're a privileged insider without telling me you're a privileged insider. Couple this with Sherrill's inability to recall whether she made $7 million in stock trades, and one begins to wonder not only about Sherrill's ability to lead, but how deep her compromises run.
When Democrat candidate for New Jersey Governor @MikieSherrill was pressed for making $7 million on stocks, she has to respond:
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) September 22, 2025
"I'd have to check."
One of the worst answers imaginable to that question.
pic.twitter.com/nFpNd0nuZu
In mid-September, Sherrill refused to vote for the resolution honoring the life and legacy of Charlie Kirk and condemning political violence. She rolled out this lame statement that was probably cobbled together by an intern, and made derogatory claims about what Kirk represented.
My statement on the House vote on the Charlie Kirk resolution. pic.twitter.com/bU0GAG6WD2
— Rep. Mikie Sherrill (@RepSherrill) September 19, 2025
Despite her own Naval Academy scandal, Sherrill is totally lacking in self-awareness. She decided to issue an X post maligning Secretary of War Pete Hegseth's Tuesday speech before American military officials, commanders, and personnel. Just as in her excuse concerning the Kirk resolution vote, she throws out spurious claims about Hegseth trashing women.
Let me get this straight: Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump called our highest ranking military officers away from their posts on the eve of a government shutdown to trash women and disavow the laws of war that help protect our service members when they fall into enemy hands? https://t.co/p3FiNq76NJ
— Mikie Sherrill (@MikieSherrill) September 30, 2025
Contrast this with Ciattarelli's X post, counting the days until his son, an Army captain, returns from deployment. There is no greater contrast between military honor and dishonor.
Counting down the final 100 days until our son Jake comes home. Proud of our Army Captain every single day. pic.twitter.com/ln3fTM1qG3
— Jack Ciattarelli (@Jack4NJ) September 27, 2025
If the polls are an indicator, New Jerseyans are also seeing this contrast, along with Sherrill's dissembling on matters of character, her inability to connect with voters, and the issues that most matter.
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