Sherrill likely headed to re-election

Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-Montclair) will likely defeat Republican challenger Rosemary Becchi, the New Jersey Globe projects.

“It is an honor to serve the 11th District,” Sherrill said. “Over the past two years, I have fought to make sure that Washington works for New Jersey, to see that our tax dollars come back to our communities, to lower the cost of prescription drugs, to fund infrastructure projects important to North Jersey, to address issues of justice in our communities, and to support families and businesses through the COVID-19 pandemic. There are many challenges that lie ahead. We will work together to rebuild our economy and ensure a bright future for our children.”

Sherrill, a first-term incumbent, holds a significant lead over Becchi, a former U.S. Senate Finance Committee staffer.

Morris County Republican Chairwoman Laura Ali contested The Globe’s call, saying it was premature.

“It is irresponsible journalism to call a race when a significant percentage of Morris County’s votes have not been counted in this unprecedented, Governor-mandated all vote by mail election,” she said. “This last week has shown a dramatic uptick in Republican voter turnout throughout Morris County where Republicans have significantly out-performed democrats.”

While most votes in Morris County have not yet been counted, Sherrill leads there by 13,009 votes. She leads in Essex by 27,019 votes, and Becchi has failed to rack up big margins in Republican parts of the district. In Sussex County, where some ballots remain uncounted, Becchi leads by just 534 votes.

The final tally won’t be known for days. Mail-in ballots postmarked by election day will be counted so long as they reach election officials by Nov. 10.

Provisional ballots, which are expected to favor Republicans, won’t be counted until Nov. 11, and voters who submit deficient ballots have until Nov. 18 to cure them.

Becchi’s campaign in the heavily suburban 11th district focused on violence in riots of the police killings of unarmed black men. Sherrill, a moderate Democrat elected amid a national wave that say her party retake the House in 2018, largely ran on her record.

The former federal prosecutor had a massive cash lead throughout the entire race, raising more than $6 million through mid-October to Becchi’s roughly $1.3 million.