TRENTON – New Jersey Democrats and key state leaders have expressed concern that black and Hispanic voters – who historically have been the backbone of the party – may not vote for Representative Mickey Sherrill (D). search for him To succeed term-limited Governor Phil Murphy (D).
Some consider the indifference to be continuing until now last year’s election There were years of unsuccessful negotiations between former Vice President Harris and President Trump, as well as between the two parties. Others say Sherrill is not doing enough to earn their votes.
“I believe that although our next governor has to represent the entire state – and we have no objection to that – but where [do] Should black people enter the conversation? We need to be at the top of the food chain, especially on the Democratic Party side,” Dr. John Harmon, founder, CEO and president of the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey, said last week.
Some of the same concerns about anemic turnout, coupled with Republican recent profits within voting blocks, resurfacing Before the gubernatorial elections next month.
While New Jersey is generally considered reliably blue, the Democratic Party cannot take the Garden State lightly in November.
Murphy defeated a challenge from GOP 2025 gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli by 3 percentage points in 2021. Harris, meanwhile, won the state by about 6 points — more than former President Biden won the state by about 16 points in 2020 or Democrat Hillary Clinton by 14 points as her 2016 presidential nominee.
a decision desk headquarterspolling average of surveysThe race shows Sherrill ahead of Ciattarelli by 5 points – 49 percent to 44 percent.
A Democratic strategist from New Jersey, who requested anonymity to speak candidly, told The Hill, “The same apathy or the same turnout anxiety that we saw in November — I think that’s a real concern, especially with Black and brown voters for this cycle.”
“Mickey and his team have done a really good job of trying to get into the communities,” the strategist said. He added, “I don’t know until people vote how well it’s really resonating.”
Asked by The Hill earlier this month what she would say to Black and Hispanic voters who are disinterested in the upcoming election, Sherrill said she hears the biggest issue among those communities, like other voting blocks. potency,
“We know that about 70 percent of white families and only about 30 percent of Black families in the state own their homes, and so that number of first-time home buyers [program] “It can help people get into that first home and really build generational wealth,” Sherrill said in New Brunswick last week. a gubernatorial debate,
Sherrill’s campaign spokesperson Sean Higgins said in a statement to The Hill that “Mickey believes that economic empowerment strengthens communities of color” and pointed to some of her plans aimed at business growth and addressing energy costs in the state, such as her Save Time and Money agenda and a state of emergency on utility costs.
But some black voters, like Harmon, want Sherrill to be more outspoken about her agenda.
“I don’t want to bring President Trump into this conversation, but I will say that whether you love him or hate him, he’s doing exactly what he says he’s going to do,” Harmon said, adding that’s what New Jerseyans expect from their next governor.
He gave Sherrill suggestions on how she planned to support minority- and women-owned businesses with public contracts and deal with project labor agreements. New Jersey Disparity Studywas released last yearFor example, it detailed how minority-owned businesses were awarded significantly fewer public contracts than white-male-owned businesses.
He added, “We’re looking forward to the candidates announcing how they will move this state forward for all people, but especially for groups who are underperforming, who are marginalized.”
Meanwhile, Sherrill and other Democrats have suggested that Ciattarelli doesn’t care about black and Hispanic communities. He repeatedly points to a moment during the campaign when he answered the “next question” inquiring about how important these voters would be to his campaign.
Democrats have also criticized the New Jersey Republican over comments he made during the first debate, in which he acknowledged that New Jersey’s schools were among the most segregated in the country, while asking, “I wonder if we would be discussing this if schools with predominantly black student populations were outperforming schools with predominantly white populations?”
“This is completely absurd,” Ciattarelli campaign strategist Chris Russell told The Hill about the attacks. “And I think the fact that we’re even having this conversation proves that they understand.”
Ciattarelli had already anticipated defeat in the 2021 gubernatorial bid from his “very white” campaign team. This time, Russell said he had “the resources to build a bigger, more diverse, stronger team”.
“The campaign has made a very concerted effort to be present [Black and Hispanic] Community and fight aggressively for votes that maybe haven’t been traditionally Republican in the past, but are finding a lot of excitement and a lot of openness to hearing Jack’s message and joining the campaign,” Russell said.
Still, Sheryl has secured Support Local and national leaders including primary challenger and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka (D) as well as Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and former President Obama. But Ciattarelli has also seen some high-profile local endorsements, including John Wayman Henry III, the former chairman of the Economic Development Commission in West Orange, who supported Baraka in the Democratic primary.
“He has offered specific solutions to improve health care, education and opportunity for black-owned businesses,” Henry wrote. a release Announced his support for Ciattarelli. “Whether he’s your candidate or not, the big thing is that we can’t attend dances where we’re not allowed to lead.”
Michael Bland, executive director of Black Men Vote and Sherrill supporter, said that while there is a “misnomer” that black people don’t vote or don’t care about politics, the bigger issue is that campaigns often don’t message, don’t do thorough outreach or don’t survey the demographic.
He said he reached out to both candidates for advice on how to attract black voters. Speaking to Sheryl, Bland advised her not to make promises and instead suggested she make commitments and be authentic.
“I think she had to learn for the first time, ‘How do I woo black and Latino voters…from Elizabeth to Monmouth County to Mercer County?'” Bland said of the North Jersey Democrat, who represents a predominantly white congressional district.
“Do I think she could have done more in the beginning? Absolutely,” he said. “Do I think he’s adjusted and pivoted? Yes.”
Despite this, other stakeholders believe that any potential apathy or lack of engagement surrounding the gubernatorial election has quickly dissipated during Trump’s second term.
Anna Maria Hill, New Jersey state director and vice president of 32BJ SEIU, another supporter of Sherrill, said, “The indifference may have been there last year, but I think now there is a lot more fear for people to remain silent.”
