Rep Mikie Sherrill

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2nd on off year election

TRUMP ADMin leaked mil records w SSN 9 25

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NEWARK — Gov. Mikie Sherrill took multiple shots at President Donald Trump on Tuesday after she was sworn in as New Jersey’s 57th governor on a stage at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center.

Sherrill, 54, a Democrat who is just the second woman in history to be chief executive of the Garden State, never mentioned the Republican president by name, but she connected the nation’s fight for independence from a king 250 years ago with opposition to the Trump administration’s actions today.

“This election proved that the people of New Jersey recognize the parallels. That we see a president illegally usurping power, unconstitutionally enacting a tariff regime to make billions for himself and his family, while everyone else sees their costs go higher. Here, we demand people in public service actually serve the public instead of buying themselves planes and cars and extorting money,” she said.

Gov. Sherrill orders credits to offset electricity hikes coming in June

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The attacks on Trump drew an enthusiastic response from the 2,000-plus people gathered in the Newark theater.

“I want you to know that I will be fighting for you. And I hope, New Jersey, you’ll remember me when you open your electric bill and it hasn’t gone up by 20 percent. I can promise you, it won’t be because I waste your money on a ballroom at Drumthwacket,” Sherrill said.

Sherrill was sworn in by New Jersey Supreme Court Chief Justice Stuart Rabner on Founding Father William Paterson’s copy of the state Constitution, the U.S. Constitution, and the Declaration of Independence, held by her husband, Jason Hedberg.

Sherrill defeated Republican candidate Jack Ciattarelli in November by 14 points, and the election was largely seen as a referendum on the second Trump administration. She said Tuesday that she wasn’t surprised “in the least” at the results.

“Because I know the people of New Jersey. Yes, we are loud and brash, and sometimes we tan like it’s 1980, our Giants, our Jets, and Eagles don’t even claim our state as home despite our rabid devotion. There are an inordinate number of young men wearing chains here, including my two sons,” she said.

She succeeds former Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat who was barred from seeking a third term last year. Murphy joined former governors Chris Christie, Jon Corzine, Jim McGreevey, Christine Todd Whitman, and Thomas Kean Sr. in attendance. Other lawmakers on the stage included most of the state’s congressional delegation, state legislative leadership, and Sherrill’s former D.C. roommate, new Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger.

Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell was also sworn in Tuesday on his family’s Bible, held by his daughter, Ashley.

“Today is a reminder of what progress looks like. It is a reminder of what resilience, hope, and courage can achieve,” Caldwell said. “And it is a reminder that our work of fulfilling the promise to we the people is never finished.”

Sherrill used her inaugural speech tosign two executive orders, including one that expands a credit program Murphy unveiled last year intended to offset electric rate hikes. Freezing rates was a key plank of Sherrill’s campaign for governor.

A former Navy helicopter pilot, Sherrill most recently represented the 11th Congressional District, which includes parts of Essex, Passaic, and Morris counties. She was also previously a federal prosecutor at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey.

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AN 11 25 ALL 3 WON PLUS PA SCOTUS

The November 4 elections found Democrats enjoying a mini-blue wave as their candidates enjoyed a long list of victories — including double-digit wins in Virginia's gubernatorial race (former Rep. Abigail Spanberger), New Jersey's gubernatorial race (Rep. Mikie Sherrill) and New York City's mayoral race (State Assemblyman Zohran Mandami). Those races were called by the Associated Press (AP) as well as CNN and ABC News.

Spanberger, according to AP, defeated her GOP opponent, Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, by roughly 13 percent. But according to GOP pollster Frank Luntz, the size of Spanberger's victory is reflected by not only the total numbers, but the individual counties.

On X, formerly Twitter, Luntz posted, "Every single county in Virginia shifted blueward tonight."

Luntz posted a county-by-county breakdown for Virginia, a key swing state. And even in the counties that Earle-Sears won, Spanberger posted far larger numbers compared to Democratic candidates of the past.

For example, Earle-Sears carried Salem County by 12 percent, but according to Luntz, that's a 6.9 percent improvement for the Democratic Party in that red county.

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Spanberger, according to Luntz, won Portsmouth County by 47 percent (an 8.1 percent swing for Democrats) and Prince William County by 34 percent (a 16 percent blue shift).

In Virginia's House of Delegates, Democrats built on their current majority, now holding 64 seats to Republicans' 36. This means that Virginia Democrats' goal of passing a redistricting map to counter Republican mid-decade redistricting in Texas and elsewhere is likely to pass, with Spanberger giving Democrats a trifecta.

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AN 2 25

Stephen Miller, President Donald Trump’s White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy, attempted to deliver a “civics lesson” to U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), but his move quickly backfired, prompting what appears to be a quiet retreat.

Congresswoman Sherrill is an attorney, former federal prosecutor, and former U.S. Navy helicopter pilot. She earned her law degree from Georgetown, a master’s degree from the London School of Economics, and her bachelor’s from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis.

On Saturday, Sherrill blasted President Donald Trump’s and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s firings of six of the nation’s top military officers, including top JAG lawyers — firings that have been widely condemned.

For example, President Joe Biden’s Secretary of the Air Force, Frank Kendall, called the firings, “foolish and a disgrace,” and added: “What frightens me even more is the removal of three judge advocates general, the most senior uniformed legal authorities in the Defense Department. Their removal is one more element of this administration’s attack on the rule of law, and an especially disturbing part.”

“So much for a ‘meritocracy,'” Sherrill wrote, an apparent reference to Trump’s attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), during which he vowed his administration would only hire and promote based on merit.

“Last night at the Pentagon, President Trump and Secretary Hegseth dismantled a core principle of American democracy: the apolitical military,” she wrote, remarks substantiated by experts.

“You don’t rise to our military’s highest positions without decades of leadership and commitment to serving missions across the globe. Four-star General C.Q. Brown has been serving our nation since 1984. Four-star Admiral Lisa Franchetti has been serving since 1985. Both of these individuals earned their barrier-breaking positions because they devoted their lives to taking on our nation’s toughest challenges — and they have the resumes to prove it,” Sherrill explained.

“Yet, Secretary Hegseth called Admiral Franchetti a DEI hire in his book, and criticized General Brown because of his commitment to promoting diversity in our armed forces. This move isn’t about strengthening our armed forces, and it isn’t about merit. It’s about Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump implementing their political agenda,” she continued.

“Additionally, Trump and Hegseth fired the top Judge Advocates General, who are the military’s top lawyers. These are the individuals who interpret law for our commanders, and ensure that we’re fighting in accordance with our values,” Sherrill added. The JAG firings, some experts warn, are the ones that should be of the greatest concern to Americans.

Explaining how the military’s top brass usually are not replaced by incoming Commanders-in Chief, Sherrill warned: “Trump and Hegseth are trying to gut the military’s leadership so they can use the armed forces to carry out their personal, political agenda. This move will threaten America’s national security, show weakness to dictators worldwide like Vladimir Putin, and give Donald Trump unchecked power to abuse our military.”

She called Hegseth’s firings a “brazen, dangerous abuse of power.”

“In the United States Armed Forces, you swear an oath to the Constitution — not a person, not a political party. It’s an oath I took for the first time at age eighteen when I entered the Naval Academy, and have taken numerous times throughout my career. I will never abandon that oath, and I will always fight to protect the men and women who risk their lives to serve our country,” Sherrill vowed.

Miller, who was not named in Sherrill’s remarks, decided to jump in and launch an attack.

“Quick civics lesson: a core principle of American democracy is civilian control of the military,” declared Miller, a former Trump speechwriter.

Sherrill shot back.

“Gee, thanks Stephen. Here’s a civics lesson for you,” she offered.

“10 U.S.C. § 152 lays out the qualifications for Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. These guidelines ensure the most experienced, capable officers (like General Brown) are protecting our national security and our country. Ignoring the guidelines and firing JAGs suggests the administration is attempting to build a military of loyalists focused less on our safety and more on loyalty to MAGA and Trump.”

“I know you haven’t served and your experience is mainly in speechwriting, so hopefully this is helpful,” she added.

Miller does not yet seem to have responded over the past 14 hours or so.

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https://www.alternet.org/2021/01/capitol-riot-2649923460