Sherrill Under Fire for Skipping Majority of House Votes Amid Governor Bid

New Jersey gubernatorial candidate Mikie Sherrill has been absent from more than half of her congressional votes this year—by far the worst attendance record among members of the House, according to official data.

The Democratic congresswoman, now in her fourth term, has seen her voting participation plummet since declaring her candidacy to succeed outgoing Governor Phil Murphy late last year. Her Republican rival, Jack Ciattarelli, has accused her of abandoning her congressional duties to focus on her campaign.

While it’s common for sitting lawmakers running for higher office to miss some votes, Sherrill’s record stands out. Reports by PolitiFact and the New Jersey Globe reveal that since announcing her bid on November 18, 2024, she has failed to vote on about 55% of major House measures.

Fox News added that since the start of the 119th Congress in January, Sherrill has skipped 53% of votes—145 in total—placing her far behind her colleagues in attendance.

Her absentee rate dwarfs that of the next most absent New Jersey representative, Donald Norcross, who has missed 83 votes this year.

Ciattarelli’s campaign wasted no time attacking her record. “She ran for re-election to Congress in 2024 knowing full well she had no intention of doing her job,” said campaign strategist Chris Russell in a statement to Fox News.

“And when she did show up, the two most consequential votes she cast were to raise taxes on working people and shut down the government,” he continued, referencing her opposition to a temporary spending bill and to President Trump’s “big beautiful bill.”

“That Sherrill missed nearly 90% of the votes she was supposed to cast over the last three months is shameful,” Russell added, citing her voting record between July 23 and September 18.

In response, Sherrill’s campaign avoided commenting directly on the absences but defended her commitment to New Jersey. “Mikie Sherrill is out there every day fighting for New Jersey on critical issues like the Gateway Tunnel Project, which Trump ‘terminated’ and said ‘is dead,’” campaign communications director Sean Higgins told The New York Post.

The campaign also took a swipe at Ciattarelli, accusing him of being subservient to the Trump administration. “No wonder Jack continues to trail, even in Fox News’ polling, where he can’t break through the mid-40s and voters are rejecting him on healthcare, costs, taxes, and utilities,” Higgins said.

The race between Sherrill and Ciattarelli has turned increasingly combative as polls tighten heading into the final stretch.

Data from GovTrack shows that as the campaign intensified, Sherrill missed 56% of her votes from April through June and 64% from July through September.

Although other members of Congress running for higher office have occasionally skipped votes, none have done so at the same rate. For instance, Michigan’s Elissa Slotkin participated in 99% of votes while campaigning for the Senate, and six other House lawmakers pursuing Senate seats maintained attendance above 80%.

Only Senator Adam Schiff, then a California congressman running for the Senate, had a comparably poor attendance record, missing 48% of House votes last year, according to Fox News.

{Matzav.com}