On November 4th, 2025, Mikie Sherrill made history by becoming the first Democratic female governor of New Jersey. Running on a campaign based on standing up to President Trump, Governor Sherrill won the election with an estimated 56.3% of votes. Her opponent, Jack Ciattarelli, was a Trump-backed Republican, who congratulated her after the election’s results. Sherill ran a campaign centered around “making the American Dream accessible again.” Her agenda for governance can be divided into eight categories: taxation, housing, energy costs, health care, children, education, food prices, and Trump.

To start, Sherrill aims to lower taxes for the average New Jerseyan citizen while raising the income tax for the wealthy. She will use this common Democratic approach to fund agencies such as the public worker pension. Similarly, her housing policies are centered around affordability, aiming to combat New Jersey’s nation-high average property tax of ten thousand dollars. She plans to lower housing costs by increasing access to loans and tax credits.

Sherrill’s plans for energy costs are to invest in solar energy, citing in her energy agenda, “l'll take bold action at the state level to invest in clean energy like solar, which is one of the cheapest energy sources to develop.” In relation to healthcare, her agenda focuses on the source of medical expenses, by assuring she will investigate monopolies, require insurance companies to publicize their premium increases, and such like.

As a mother of four, the governor elect commits to ensuring children’s online safety. Not only this, but in her agenda she promises to offer “expanded mental health care services” in schools, a policy often deemed controversial. In relation to education, Mikie Sherill highlights her wish to lower public school administration costs. Along with this, Sherill promises to lower food costs by going after large corporations that “jack up prices,” and to support farmers by strengthening farmland preservation. In contrast to her strong stance on various pivotal subjects, she currently has no definite public stance on immigration.

While Sherill’s promises are incredibly appealing to Democrats, many right-wingers are concerned with the feasibility of her agenda, and her near Democratic-Socialist approach. With the rise of leftist governments in our nations, Republicans worry her economic policies will deteriorate New Jersey’s economy. The New Jersey Republican Party expressed their concerns on their website, stating, “ Under Murphy, spending exploded from $35 billion to $59 billion, and Sherrill rubber-stamped every dime. She has never lifted a finger to cut spending, shrink [the] government, or stand up for taxpayers.” Other critics say her policies are based on opposing President Trump, due to her frequent mention of him in her “Affordability Agenda,” rallies, and debates. This led her to lose popularity among right-leaning moderates.

All in all, Mikie Sherrill won the New Jersey governor’s race with a strong Democratic agenda, receiving high criticism from right-wing politicians. This election reflects a continuing pattern in U.S. politics, with highly contrasting policies on opposite sides of the political scale. With so much divide in our nation, these elections highlight the need for compromise and moderation in our government.

The YUNity Project looks forward to reporting how the ideas embodied in Governor Sherrill's campaign will materialize in the next 4 years.