- First-term Rep. Mikie Sherrill has won reelection in New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District, according to Decision Desk HQ.
- She had been running against Republican Rosemary Becchi.
- The district is located in northern New Jersey, and includes parts of Essex, Morris, Passaic, and Sussex counties.
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First-term Rep. Mikie Sherrill defeated Republican Rosemary Becchi to win reelection in New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District, according to Decision Desk HQ.
The candidates
Sherrill, the incumbent, is a nine-year veteran of the US Navy, where she served as a helicopter pilot and rose to the rank of lieutenant commander. After obtaining her law degree post-military, she worked for a litigation firm before becoming an assistant US attorney while working under US Attorney Paul Fishman.
The 11th District was previously represented by Republican Rodney Frelinghuysen for 24 years from 1995 to 2019. Frelinghuysen, who served as the chairman of the powerful House Appropriations Committee in his last term, retired in 2018. That year, Sherill defeated her Republican opponent Jay Webber by nearly fifteen percentage points. Before Sherrill was elected to office, the district had not been represented by a Democrat since Joseph Minish lost his reelection fight in 1985. She is the first woman to represent the district in its 107-year history.
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In Congress, Sherill serves on the Committees on Armed Services and the Committee on Science, Space, & Technology. She’s also a member of the Blue Dog Coalition and New Democratic Coalition, two caucuses comprised of moderate Democrats.
Becchi, Sherrill’s challenger, is currently a tax policy attorney and consultant with experience working at the Internal Revenue Service and as a staffer on the Senate Finance Committee.
She centered her campaign platform around lowering taxes, strengthening border security, and reforming the healthcare system. She won an endorsement from House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.
The district
New Jersey's 11th Congressional District is located in the state's northern region. The wealthy, suburban district is home to a chunk of Morris, Passaic, Essex, and Sussex counties, including the cities of Montclair, Morristown, and Pompton Lakes.
In 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney by a margin of six points, according to Daily Kos Elections. In the 2016 presidential election, the district narrowly voted for President Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton in a 49-48% split of the vote.
The district is one of 30 in the US which voted for President Trump but is currently represented by a Democrat in the House.
The money race
According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Sherrill raised over $6 million, spent over $2.7 million, and had over $3.6 million in cash on hand while Becchi raised over $1.3 million, spent around $1.1 million, and had around $168,000 in cash on hand.
What experts say
The race between Sherrill and Becchi was rated as "safe Democratic" by Inside Elections, the Cook Political Report, and Sabato's Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics.