Democrat Mikie Sherrill participates in the final New Jersey gubernatorial debate with Republican Jack Ciattarelli in New Brunswick, N.J., Oct. 8, 2025. (Heather Khalifa/AP Photo)
The record of absences stands out — even when stacked up against other candidates who have pursued statewide office in recent years.
When asked about that record, Sean Higgins, communications director for Sherrill's campaign, said the congresswoman is working to represent the state wherever possible.
"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 going to be dead,'" Higgins said, referring to the Trump administration’s recent freeze of billions of dollars allocated to infrastructure projects in urban centers across the country.
Although Sherrill’s high number of missed votes isn’t unprecedented, it stands out as one of the only examples in recent years when a sitting member of the House has visibly dropped participation in the chamber amid the heightened scrutiny of a competitive bid for statewide office.
To Matthew Green, director of graduate studies at the Catholic University of America, it speaks to a surprisingly tight race — in a state that has solidly voted blue in years past.
"It certainly suggests that it's a close enough race that Sherrill has to spend as much time as she can in New Jersey and that can lead to missing votes in Washington. It's not uncommon to miss votes. But if you do that too much, your opponent can say, ‘Oh, you’re not doing the job you have now, why should the voters trust you with a new job?'" Green said. "But you only campaign once. I could see candidates saying, ‘I can miss a lot of votes, and that’s not going to hurt me when I'm running for office.'"
According to polling by FOX News last week, Sherrill leads Republican challenger Jack Ciattarelli narrowly by four points, 48%–44%, among registered voters. Her lead has shrunk over the past few months, having boasted a seven-point lead over her opponent just one month before in September.
Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger marches in the 54th Annual Buena Vista Labor Day Festival parade alongside fellow Democrat Jay Jones in September 2025. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Despite a gap that’s closed in recent months, Russell, the Ciattarelli strategist, emphasized that Sherrill still leads the race with just three weeks to go until Election Day on Nov. 4.
"Jack Ciattarelli doesn't have the backbone to stand up to his boss in the White House. 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. Sad!"
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The early voting period for the governor’s race begins on Oct. 25 and runs through Nov. 2.
Leo Briceno is a politics reporter for the congressional team at Fox News Digital. He was previously a reporter with World Magazine.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/dem-rep-mikie-sherrill-skips-145-house-votes-nj-governors-race-heats-up