Sherrill adds Lawrence and DeMicco to campaign team

No Democrat in this century has won a statewide election in New Jersey without Brad Lawrence and Steve DeMicco, so their decision to sign on to help Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-Montclair) win re-election in New Jersey’s 11th district next year is likely to be interpreted as an indication that the North Jersey congresswoman will run for governor in 2025.

Message & Media, the political consulting firm Lawrence and DeMicco run, will be part of a team to help Sherrill develop an enhanced message and strategy as she prepares to seek a fourth term in Congress.

This is another sign that Sherrill is scaling up her political operation and expanding her footprint across the state.  The 11th district became considerably more Democratic in redistricting, and she won re-election in 2022 by nineteen percentage points.

“I’m thrilled to welcome Brad Lawrence and Steve DeMicco to our congressional campaign. They care deeply about the future of New Jersey, and their track record of success is unmatched.”

Lawrence and DeMicco have been top strategists for Phil Murphy, Bob Menendez, Cory Booker, Frank Lautenberg, Jon Corzine, and James E. McGreevey, the six Democrats who have won the state since 2000.  They joined Murphy in 2015 when the former U.S. Ambassador to Germany appeared to be in third place in the 2017 governor’s race.

As strategists and media consultants for Murphy’s 2021 re-election campaign, Lawrence and DeMicco worked closely with members of Sherrill’s inner circle: her 2018 campaign manager, Mollie Binotto, managed Murphy’s re-election bid, and her longtime aide and 2022 campaign chief, Jackie Burns, was Murphy’s deputy campaign manager.

Sherrill has not publicly commented on her statewide ambitions, but she’s been showing up at events across the state with increased frequency in recent months.

Last year, Sherrill hired Alex Ball, a top political operative, as her chief of staff.  Ball managed Josh Gottheimer’s campaign that unseated seven-term Rep. Scott Garrett (R-Wantage) in 2016.

Gottheimer, also mulling a gubernatorial run, brought on Democratic strategist Michael Soliman to serve as his statewide sherpa.

So far, the lone announced Democratic candidate for governor is Steven Fulop, the three-term mayor of Jersey City.  Fulop has begun to build his campaign team and has secured endorsements from four mayors and the Amalgamated Transit Union.   He’s already secured the Hudson County Democratic organization line.

Other potential candidates include Senate President Nicholas Scutari, Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee Chairman Paul Sarlo, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, Montclair Mayor Sean Spiller, and former Deputy U.S. Secretary of the Treasury James Johnson.

Murphy is term-limited.

A former U.S. Navy helicopter pilot and federal prosecutor, Sherrill flipped the 11th district congressional seat in 2018 after 34 years of Republican congressmen.