EMILY’s List supports Rep. Mikie Sherrill in the race for New Jersey governor

EMILY’s List, a national group that supports Democratic women running for office, endorsed Rep. Mikie Sherrill’s bid for New Jersey governor on Monday, just hours after she announced her campaign.

In a statement first shared with NBC News, EMILY’s List President Jessica Mackler highlighted Sherrill’s military service and her time in Congress, adding that the group hopes she will become the first Democratic woman to serve as governor of the Garden State.

“In the U.S. Navy and in Congress, Rep. Sherrill has demonstrated her unwavering commitment to serving our country and the people of New Jersey. Her record in passing bipartisan legislation to lower health care costs, lower taxes for New Jerseyans, and fight for our reproductive rights. We are thrilled to support Rep. Sherrill and to elect New Jersey’s first female governor,” said Mackler.

Sherrill, a former Navy helicopter commander and former federal prosecutor who flipped a Republican seat in 2018, joins an already crowded Democratic field.

Last week, colleague Josh Gottheimer announced his bid for governor, and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop are also running.

The race, one of just two gubernatorial elections scheduled for 2025, is expected to draw plenty of attention and spending. Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, is term-limited and cannot run for re-election, leaving an opening for eager Democrats to take over the governor’s mansion.

All eyes will be on this race and the race to succeed Virginia GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin next year, as these off-year elections are often seen as indicators of how voters react to the first year of a new presidential administration.

Sherrill is the first woman to run in the New Jersey race. EMILY’s List has too approved rep. Abigail SpanbergerD-Va., who is entering Virginia’s gubernatorial race.

The organization has previously supported both women’s congressional campaigns.