Biography
Rebecca Michelle "Mikie" Sherrill assumed office as governor of New Jersey on January 20, 2026. She previously served as the U.S. representative for New Jersey's 11th Congressional District from 2019 to 2025, resigning from office after being elected governor. She is a former U.S. Navy helicopter pilot and a former federal prosecutor. She is the first female Democratic governor of New Jersey and the first female veteran to be elected governor in the United States.
Sherrill was born on January 19, 1972, in Alexandria, Virginia. She received an Bachelor of Science degree from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1994, a Master of Science degree in economic history from the London School of Economics in 2003, and a Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center in 2007. From 1994 to 2003, Sherrill served as a Navy helicopter pilot and a Russian policy officer, resigning from service as a lieutenant commander. From 2008 to 2011, she was an associate at Kirkland & Ellis in New York City.
From 2012 to 2015, she worked as an outreach and reentry coordinator at the U.S. attorney's office for the District of New Jersey, and from 2015 to 2016 she was an assistant U.S. attorney for the same district.
For information on Sherrill's policy subject areas, committee appointments and sponsored/co-sponsored legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives, please visit her profile on https://www.congress.gov.
Speeches
- Gov. Mikie Sherrill Inaugural Address - January 20, 2026
- Victory Speech - Nov. 4, 2025
- Victory Speech – Nov. 6, 2018