State Sen. John McKeon (D-West Orange) said he will support Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-Montclair) for governor Thursday afternoon, the latest in a slew of good news for the three-term congresswoman.
McKeon is the first state senator to proclaim his support of Sherrill, who he called “the odds-on favorite” to win the governor’s race. The congresswoman hasn’t officially announced a campaign for governor — she must first win reelection to the House of Representatives next month.
In 2017, when he was still an assemblyman, McKeon considered a run to challenge then-Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, a Republican. McKeon’s decision not to run cleared the way for Essex County Democrats to consolidate behind Sherrill. Frelinghuysen announced his intent to retire in 2018, and Sherrill defeated Assemblyman Jay Webber (R-Morris Plains) to succeed him.
“I’ve known her from her initial candidacies running for Congress and having met her, we have a lot of similar views,” McKeon said. “And I think she’s kind of a middle-of-the-road Democrat that’s right for New Jersey.”
McKeon’s endorsement comes on the same day that the mayor and former mayor of his hometown of West Orange endorsed Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-Tenafly). Similarly to Sherrill, Gottheimer hasn’t yet announced a bid due to prior congressional engagements but is widely expected to run for governor.
The Democratic chairmen of Middlesex, Essex, and Passaic counties also appear ready to back Sherrill as of this week. Essex, Middlesex, and Passaic make up roughly 27% of the registered Democrats in the state. Still, with the near certainty that there will be no county organization lines in the 2025 primary — Middlesex has already agreed to an office block ballot — the likely support of major party leaders won’t blindly produce pluralities for a candidate.
The state’s largest firefighters union also announced this week their intent to endorse her, if she announces a bid.
Sherrill has previously lined up support from the Laborers’ International Union.