Morning all. There is a lot of news today so going to break it all into two Hopium posts. The first this morning is a new interview with our great candidate for New Jersey Governor, Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill. I loved this interview, and think you will too.
I found Sherrill’s evocation of “boundless American optimism” as a central organizing principle of her campaign to be very compelling and effective. Hopium regulars will appreciate her identification as a “proud, plucky patriot.” In this interview you will hear all the elements I think we need to win in the battles ahead - optimism, love of country, patriotism; a relentless focus on helping people have better lives, getting ahead, and tackling the affordability crisis; a strong leader who is willing to “run into the fight” and who has the toughness and strength to challenge MAGA’s extremism and be warriors for us all.
Rep. Sherrill is a great candidate in one of our most important 2025 elections. I hope you will choose to support her in any way you can. Like and share this interview with others, and let’s keep building support for her important candidacy. Donate to her campaign, learn more and consider volunteering too. We’ve raised $17,000 towards our $25,000 June 30th goal - please consider donating today!
Below you can find her extended bio that I lifted directly from her website. I send it for her story - Naval Academy grad, Navy pilot and 14 year veteran of the Navy, prosecutor, Congresswoman, mom of four children - is remarkable, inspiring and powerful. As we discussed yesterday, one of the most exciting parts of this terrible Trump era is that we are seeing new and vital leaders emerge in our pro-democracy movement, and there is no question that Mike Sherrill is one of them.
Enjoy this interview, support Mikie’s campaign any way you can and keep working hard all - Simon
U.S. Naval Academy graduate, Navy helicopter pilot, former federal prosecutor, wife, and mother of four kids – Mikie Sherrill proudly serves New Jersey in Congress and is running for governor to make life easier and more affordable for Garden State families. Her career has been defined by service to her country and New Jersey.
Mikie was inspired to join the military by her grandfather, a World War II veteran.
From a young age, she knew she wanted to fly and do big things. After graduating from the Naval Academy in 1994 – the first class of women eligible for combat roles on ships and aircraft – Mikie spent almost 10 years on active duty in the United States Navy. As a Sea King Helicopter pilot, she led missions throughout Europe and the Middle East. She worked on the Battle Watch Floor in the European Theater during the Iraq War, served as a Flag Aide to the Deputy Commander of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet, and was a Russian policy officer aiding in the implementation of our nuclear treaty obligations and oversaw the relationship between the U.S. Navy and Russian Federation Navy.
Following her service in the Navy, Mikie attended and graduated from law school.
She worked in private practice and then joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey. As an Outreach and Reentry Coordinator, Mikie established programs to develop trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve and helped people leaving prison to gain employment, housing, and education to restart their lives. Then as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, she prosecuted federal cases to keep our communities safe and worked to take illegal guns off the streets of New Jersey.
After Donald Trump was first elected, Mikie knew she had to do something to stand up for New Jersey, her country, and the values she swore an oath to defend in the Navy.
In her first-ever run for office, she led a grassroots movement and was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2018 to represent New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District. Her campaign – where she drove an entrenched Republican incumbent out of the race – marked the biggest swing from red to blue in the country that year.
As a mother raising four children, Mikie is a strong voice in Congress for New Jersey’s families.
Mikie is working hard to bring down costs for families – whether it’s grocery prices, child care, or Trump’s SALT cap that punished New Jersey families. After constant roadblocks from the Christie and Trump administrations, Mikie helped deliver New Jersey’s fair share of federal funding on the Gateway Tunnel Project – the single-largest infrastructure project in American history, which will create good-paying union jobs and reduce commute times for families. She is fighting for reproductive freedom, defending abortion rights, as well as access to contraception and IVF.
And as Donald Trump and Elon Musk threaten New Jerseyans, Mikie is fighting back against the cruelty and destruction coming out of Washington and defending the programs that working people rely on, including Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and our schools.
Mikie holds a Bachelor’s degree from the United States Naval Academy, a Master’s degree in Global History from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a law degree from Georgetown University.
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