Progressive Democrat Lisa McCormick took sharp aim at Rep. Mikie Sherrill, a candidate for governor of New Jersey, calling into question the conservative Blue Dog congresswoman’s credibility as a self-described “passionate advocate for making New Jersey more affordable” given her personal wealth.
“Mikie Sherrill rakes in over $3 million a year—she doesn’t live in the same New Jersey as most working people,” said McCormick. “How can someone who exists in that stratosphere possibly understand the daily financial strain felt by average New Jersey families?”
New Jersey’s median household income, while 28.4% higher than the national average, still remains below $100,000—a far cry from Sherrill’s multi-million dollar lifestyle.
McCormick argues that this disparity makes Sherrill’s affordability rhetoric ring hollow.
“Affordability isn’t just a slogan—it’s a crisis for millions. You don’t fix it by electing another millionaire,” McCormick said. “Mikie Sherrill is a creature of the political establishment. We need structural reform, not polished soundbites.”
Sherrill’s rivals Steve Fulop and Ras Baraka, who are running as anti-establishment insurgents, have bashed her wealth, her establishment ties, and acceptance of contributions from groups associated with Elon Musk.
“Mikie Sherrill let us down. Mikie took $30,000 from Elon Musk’s campaign fund, while Trump attacked abortion access,” says an ad from Baraka’s campaign.
“Why on earth would Mikie Sherrill vote to send millions in taxpayer funds to Elon and SpaceX? Musk be the money he gave her campaigns. End the corruption!” says an ad from a PAC backing Fulop.
Sherrill’s congressional campaign accepted $24,000 from SpaceX, while her affiliated leadership PAC received another $7,500 total from the Musk-owned company.
When Charlamagne tha God, host of The Breakfast Club radio show, confronted her about reports that she made $7 million in stock trades, Sherrill said she didn’t know the details and added, “Look, I, both my husband and I come from very middle-class families.”
“Making $7 million in stock trades on top of a $3 million yearly income is not very middle-class… it is rich enough to insulate her from caring about what is affordable,” said McCormick, who challenged Democratic contenders to champion more aggressive progressive policies.
A longtime critic of both corporate Democrats and Trump-aligned Republicans, McCormick has called for a radical reimagining of the American economy, invoking the populist legacy of Louisiana Governor Huey Long.
McCormick advocates reviving Long’s Share Our Wealth plan, which would cap personal fortunes at $50 million, reversing decades of trickle-down economics ushered in by the Reagan era, and rebuilding the middle class.
“Ronald Reagan launched an assault on working people that still hasn’t ended,” McCormick said. “We must reverse Reaganomics, tax extreme wealth, and restore dignity and prosperity to the American worker.”
Blue Dog Democrats like Mikie Sherrill are conservatives who could not get elected running as Republicans or corporate conservatives on their way to switching parties, like Jeff Van Drew,” McCormick said. “We must nominate a genuine Democrat, who has the guts to do what needs to be done.”
McCormick’s message draws a sharp line between her economic populism and what she describes as the “plutocracy” promoted by both Trump Republicans and establishment Democrats.
“People are tired of being told to tighten their belts by politicians who have never missed a yacht payment,” said McCormick, who scored 40% of the vote in New Jersey’s 2018 US Senate primary election. “New Jersey needs a governor who fights for working families—not one who’s too busy managing her millions.”
As the gubernatorial race enters its last week, McCormick’s rebuke signals an escalating clash between the Democratic Party’s progressive insurgents and its corporate-controlled establishment.
Whether Sherrill’s high-profile candidacy can weather such critiques remains to be seen, but McCormick has made it clear: the fight for New Jersey’s future will not be a coronation—it will be a confrontation.