By Marie Tasy
On November 4th, New Jersey voters will make critical choices at the polls to select the next Governor and their two General Assembly representatives. While many of us were disappointed by the results of the primary, one thing remains clear: New Jersey citizens cannot afford to have Rep. Mikie Sherrill as our next Governor.
Mikie Sherrill has made her support for abortion a central theme of her campaign, promising to surpass even current Governor Phil Murphy’s radical support for abortion. (Murphy is unable to serve a third consecutive term.)
She has committed to pursuing an amendment to permanently enshrine the right to an abortion in New Jersey’s state constitution. This is a clear demonstration of her obsessive zeal to further advance pro-abortion policy in New Jersey if she wins the Governor’s race in November.
At a time when the federal government and other states are moving to restrict taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood, Gov. Murphy has allocated $52.3M of our taxpayer dollars in the FY 26 budget to fund Planned Parenthood’s Abortion Business. Mikie Sherrill has pledged to continue this substantial funding if elected.
Her campaign website further states her support for legislation requiring all New Jersey health insurance plans to cover abortion with no co-pays, no deductibles, and no co-insurance, a policy that will further increase the already unaffordable cost of health insurance premiums in New Jersey.
Mikie Sherrill’s record in Congress provides strong evidence of her allegiance to abortion and its supporters. She maintains a 100% pro-abortion voting record which easily earned her endorsements from Planned Parenthood and the Pro-Abortion Emily’s List PAC.
She is a co-sponsor of H.R. 12, the Women’s Health Protection Act, legislation which closely resembles the New Jersey Reproductive Freedom Act which legalizes abortions with no limits up to birth. H.R. 12 would remove all legal protections for unborn children enacted on both the federal and state levels. It would overturn the laws in twelve states including Florida and South Carolina that have recently enacted comprehensive legal protection for unborn children.
Sherill is the prime sponsor of H.R. 1742, the Access to Reproductive Care for Servicemembers Act, mandating taxpayer funding for abortions for military members. She is also a co-sponsor of H.R. 846, legislation intended to shut down pregnancy resource centers.
The Governor of New Jersey is considered one of the very most powerful governors in the nation. The Governor has the authority to sign, veto, or conditionally veto legislation passed by the Legislature. Each year, the Governor submits a proposed state budget and may also exercise line-item veto power to remove specific appropriations added by the Legislature.
Additionally, the Governor appoints all members of the cabinet and regulatory boards—including the Attorney General—who report directly to the Governor. The Governor also has the power to nominate and appoint the Chief Justice, associate justices of the Supreme Court, judges of the Superior Court, and other lower court judges.
This extensive power impacts every aspect of life in New Jersey, affecting current and future generations. It is important to note that this authority is granted by our vote.
According to the latest reports from the Guttmacher Institute, 59,920 babies sadly lost their lives to abortion in New Jersey in 2024. New Jersey’s abortion laws are already among the most expansive and permissive in the country. They allow for abortions up to the moment of birth, remove conscience clause protections, and force taxpayers to fund abortions. New Jersey Pregnancy Resource Centers, which provide real assistance to women and stand as a defense against the profit-driven abortion industry, are currently under attack by the Attorney General.
Under current state law, even non-physicians can perform abortions without hospital admitting privileges, and providers are shielded from certain legal liabilities. These laws protect abusers, sex traffickers, and others who harm women and girls, while offering no recourse for victims.
These extreme abortion policies are the result of pro-abortion Democrats controlling both the Legislature and the Executive branch. If Mikie Sherrill wins the governor’s race in November, these policies could become even more deeply entrenched, with no hope for change or improvement.
For the sake of mothers and their unborn babies, it is imperative that New Jersey voters must make sure this does not happen.
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Marie Tasy is the Executive Director of New Jersey Right to Life.
