Fresh off her victory in New Jersey, Democratic Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill joined “Morning Joe” on Wednesday to discuss her “juggernaut” of a gubernatorial campaign and what lessons she thinks her party can take from her decisive win.
Going into Tuesday’s election, many polls showed Sherrill with only a narrow lead over her Republican opponent, Jack Ciattarelli, sometimes within the margin of error. However, as of Wednesday afternoon, the Democrat was up 13% in the vote total, according to NBC News.
Joe Scarborough asked Sherrill about those preelection numbers and why she believed so many pollsters and Washington insiders misjudged her race.
“I don’t think people get New Jersey — but I do,” she responded. “I’ve run here. This is my fifth election … so I knew exactly what I had to do.”
Sherrill told Scarborough that a successful campaign “starts with connecting with voters,” adding that she “spoke to thousands of people on the ground from everywhere in the state.”
“We built a juggernaut of a campaign — a huge organization, the likes of which this state hasn’t ever seen,” the Democrat said.
The former Navy helicopter pilot was also asked about how she plans to fight back against Donald Trump’s executive overreach, as he continues to target blue states and cities. Trump has already threatened to terminate a tunnel project connecting New York City to New Jersey.
Sherrill said her contrast with the president is likely one of the reasons voters turned out in droves on Tuesday. During her campaign, the New Jersey Democrat said she was focused on issues that “voters care deeply about,” such as opportunity, education, jobs and public transit — while Trump’s focus was on “punishing people by taking away jobs as he’s running the economy into the ground.”
When asked what lessons Democrats nationally could take from her decisive victory, Sherrill said candidates must show voters that they are willing to take action on issues they care about, such as affordability. “I’m not playing,” she explained. “I’m not doing a strongly worded letter, I’m not doing a 10-year study. I’m declaring a state of emergency on Day 1 on utility costs. I’m freezing rate hikes.” Sherrill said Democrats need to show voters they “intend to move quickly and actively, not passively.” “I think that’s what our party has to do: really be strong in this moment, and then also be willing to take on the federal government,” she continued. “Because we see Trump’s economy going downhill fast, and voters know it, college students know it, working-class people know it. It is time for strong leadership from governors to make sure states can still thrive in this moment.” You can watch Sherrill’s full interview on “Morning Joe” in the clip at the top of the page.
Allison Detzel is an editor/producer for MS NOW.
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