Rep. Mikie Sherrill is running for governor of New Jersey. She enters a crowded field

The field of gubernatorial candidates continues to grow. Rep. Mikie Sherrill announced early Monday morning that she is seeking the Democratic nomination for governor of New Jersey in 2025.

In a prerecorded video, Sherrill — dressed in her Navy flight jacket — said she was “on a mission to get things done for New Jersey.”

Aware of the disunity in politics across the country, Sherrill focused on all that New Jersey had to offer.

“In New Jersey we don’t complain, we work,” she said. “This state, more than any other, guaranteed our freedom when we fought for independence. This is the state that built this nation.”

Sherrill went on to say it’s time to confront head-on the issues facing the state, such as housing, the economy and affordability “from health care to food to child care.”

The congresswoman said New Jersey “could be the state that sets the gold standard for protecting rights and freedoms, and we know they are under attack from Donald Trump’s Washington.”

She said New Jerseyans love their country, are proud of their state and value their freedoms and want to “defend them with everything we have.”

The announcement comes less than two weeks after Sherrill was elected to a fourth term representing the state’s 11th Congressional District.

The district includes 15 communities in Essex County, 27 in Morris County and four in Passaic County.

What did Mikie Sherrill do in Congress?

Sherrill, 52, of Montclair, was first elected in 2018. She is a veteran of the Navy, where she served as a pilot, and a former federal prosecutor.

She has a reputation in Congress and throughout her district for representing moderate views, with a focus on affordability and the impact of social media on children.

Sherrill also consistently argued that America should continue its efforts to support Ukraine and Israel in their respective struggles.

More: How well do New Jersey voters recognize their candidates for governor in 2025?

Who else is running for governor?

However, she has a lot of work ahead of her in the primary because of a crowded field that already includes Newark Mayor Ras Baraka; Steve Fulop, Mayor of Jersey City; former Senate President Steve Sweeney; Sean Spiller, president of the New Jersey Education Association, the state teachers union; and since Friday, Rep. Josh Gottheimer.

On the Republican side, former state Rep. Jack Ciattarelli, who narrowly lost to incumbent Gov. Phil Murphy in 2021, is seeking the Garden State’s highest office again, facing off against state Sen. Jon Bramnick, former state Sen. Ed Durr and to radio personality Bill Spadea.

Katie Sobko covers the New Jersey Statehouse. Email: [email protected]

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill