Sherrill raises $515k in Q3, has $1.4 million in the bank

Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-Montclair) raised $515,000 during the 3rd quarter of 2023, leaving her with an imposing warchest of nearly $1.4 million after an expensive re-election contest in 2022. Sherrill has raised more than $1.5 million total since the year began.

“I’m proud of the grassroots support our campaign continues to build, working hard every day to earn New Jerseyans’ support and make our state a better and more affordable place to live, work, and raise a family,” Sherrill said in a statement. “With local elections just around the corner, I’m also working to make sure our Democratic candidates have the resources they need to succeed and win this November.”

Last cycle, Sherrill was drawn into a significantly more Democratic congressional district than the swing district she used to hold, but she still didn’t leave anything to chance against Republican opponent Paul DeGroot. The congresswoman spent $8.8 million to sink DeGroot – and was rewarded with a smashing 19-point victory.

After spending so much of her campaign money on that race, Sherrill has had to build her warchest back up this year. Fortunately for her, no one believes that her 11th congressional district will be competitive in 2024.

No Republicans have stepped up yet to take on Sherrill, and it’s unlikely that any prominent challenger will do so; whichever Republican ends up as the nominee is near-certain to lose by double digits.

But Sherrill will still have an incentive to spend big in 2024: the 2025 gubernatorial election. Sherrill is considered a possible candidate for governor, but before that campaign begins, she can use her 2024 re-election race as a pretext to run ads boosting her name recognition and appealing to potential 2025 voters.