Sherrill becomes District 11’s first Democrat in 30 years

It was a historic Election Night in New Jersey’s 11th congressional district when voters voted in the district’s first Democrat in 30 years.

Mikie Sherrill will replace long-term Republican Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen.

One day after the election, Sherrill attended a veteran’s event in Newark. Sherrill is a veteran herself, having served as a naval helicopter pilot. She is also a former federal prosecutor and a mother of four.

“I’m going to work incredibly hard to serve the people of New Jersey,” Sherrill said Wednesday.

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Sherrill says that she is going focus on affordable health care, a fair tax code, safer state infrastructure and better gun laws during her time in Congress.

“We’re not concerned on the next several weeks or months or years,” she says. “We’re concerned about next several decades, and what we can grow here in New Jersey, how we can make sure our kids have great opportunities.”

This was Sherrill’s first run for a political office. She defeated Republican New Jersey Assemblyman Jay Webber.

Sherrill now joins the ranks of a record number of women who will be headed to Congress.

“I think people know that women are consensus builders, that we are leaders. That we’re going to stick up for people in our districts and fight hard for them,” she says. “I wasn’t at all surprised to see that, but I was really thrilled to see the numbers of women that we’re going to have in Congress."

Mikie Sherrill was born in Virginia, but currently lives in Montclair where she is raising her children.