USA TODAY Network New Jersey Editorial Board Endorses Mikie Sherrill As “The Best Path Toward” A Better New Jersey

USA TODAY Network New Jersey Editorial Board Endorses Mikie Sherrill As "The Best Path Toward" A Better New Jersey

"Ciattarelli has been angry and bellicose with the press - so much so that we have concerns about his capacity to manage his temper in a Trenton that will surely be full of tensions."

Today, the USA TODAY Network New Jersey editorial board made its endorsement of Mikie Sherrill in New Jersey's race for governor, highlighting how Sherrill "offers the best path toward" a better New Jersey, while Jack Ciattarelli "does not offer" "new culture and new ideas" because "he is a Trenton insider."

Today's endorsement follows that of the Philadelphia Inquirer in emphasizing that Mikie is the only candidate who will fight to protect health care, lower costs, make "state government more effective and responsive" and "stand up to the president's excesses, especially those that shred democratic values." The editorial board adds that "her capacity for empathy… commends her candidacy at a time when there's little compassion in a political dialogue heavy on grievances." The board also notes the stark contrast with Ciattarelli, with whom they have "concerns about his capacity to manage his temper."

Read more from the editorial board on how Mikie Sherrill will "embrace a new generation of leadership" and fight for New Jersey at every turn:

• Rep. Mikie Sherrill, the Democrat, has been elected to represent the 11th Congressional District for four terms. In the blue wave of 2018, Sherrill, a former U.S. Navy pilot and U.S. attorney, claimed the seat long held by Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, a stalwart Republican moderate. In Congress, Sherrill has staked a largely centrist position befitting the onetime GOP stronghold she represents. She has been a consistent advocate for health care access and reproductive and LGBTQ+ rights.

• In recent weeks, she has taken an aggressive approach, notably - and somewhat incredibly - accusing Ciattarelli of complicity in New Jersey's opioid crisis, in which thousands lost their lives, because his medical publishing company helped create manuals advising pharmacists on prescribing drugs like OxyContin.

• In recent weeks, Ciattarelli has been angry and bellicose with the press - so much so that we have concerns about his capacity to manage his temper in a Trenton that will surely be full of tensions.

• Can we break with our decades-long culture wars and embrace solutions-oriented approaches to policy challenges? Trenton needs new culture and new ideas. Ciattarelli, with all his clarity and experience, does not offer that kind of change - while he is a Republican, he is a Trenton insider.

• We believe Sherrill, who would be New Jersey's first Gen X governor and the second woman ever to hold the post, offers the best path toward that badly-needed transition. We have been impressed with her capacity for empathy and believe it commends her candidacy at a time when there's little compassion in a political dialogue heavy on grievances.

• It's time to take the leap and embrace a new generation of leadership. Sherrill offers that chance.

• On taxes, Sherrill has proposed… a tax credit for caregivers, reviving the sales-tax holiday on school supplies and expanding assistance for first-time homebuyers. In our editorial board session, she focused on the need to shift the "culture" in Trenton to make state government more effective and responsive for individuals and small businesses, as well as the need to upgrade the state's antiquated computer systems.

• The next governor will have to deal with billions in annual funding cuts for New Jersey's [Medicaid] program approved by the Trump administration and Congress, endangering coverage for vulnerable residents. We have more confidence that a Sherrill administration would approach the task proactively. At her editorial board session, Sherrill spoke in detail of the need to cut red tape to ensure that eligible beneficiaries can keep their insurance, as well as the importance of finding innovative models to ensure disadvantaged communities get care - for example, collaborating with local schools to provide preventive exams.

• Trump's chaotic tariffs have raised costs for consumers. His administration has unilaterally withheld funds for everything from schools to the Gateway Tunnel…He has continued to baselessly sow distrust in our elections.

• We also need a governor willing to stand up to the president's excesses, especially those that shred democratic values. That is a substantial argument in Sherrill's favor.

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