Democrats Really Picked the Worst Person to Run for Governor in New Jersey, Didn't They?

Matt Vespa | September 29, 2025 7:00 AM

This was an easy layup. If she couldn’t explain how her net worth increased by $7 million as soon as she was elected to Congress, then maybe Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), who's running for governor, can at least denounce a cop killer. It turns out that would be asking too much.

Assata Shakur is finally dead. She had a rap sheet that could span the Hudson, and she was a cop killer, murdering NJ State Trooper James Harper in 1973. She escaped prison and then sought and was granted asylum in Cuba, where she remained for the rest of her life. The point is, Sherill can’t denounce her for some reason. Outgoing Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy was able to do so (via NY Post):

Lefty groups that paid tribute to Assata Shakur — the fugitive Black Liberation activist who recently died after escaping a life sentence for the murder of a New Jersey state trooper in 1973 — faced the widespread condemnation of Garden State pols from both parties.
But Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill — who is running for governor in November — was notably silent.
Outgoing Dem Gov. Phil Murphy slammed a tribute to Shakur from the Chicago Teachers Union as “shameful and depraved” in a post on X on Saturday.
[…]
“She was convicted of the murder New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster, who was executed in cold blood,” Murphy wrote.
[…]
Other Garden State pols including Democratic Rep. Josh Gottheimer and GOP Rep. Tom Kean also paid tribute to Foerster.
But Sherrill posted nothing about the trooper by Sunday afternoon and did not respond to The Post’s request for comment.
Republican candidate for governor Jack Ciattarelli didn’t post about Foerster on his social accounts but did offer a statement.
“Praising the murderer of Trooper Foerster is disgraceful. Here in New Jersey people from all sides of the political spectrum have condemned the attack – except for my opponent,” he said.
There’s a reason why this race is a dead heat—Mikie sucks, and voters know it. The movements on the margins that could tip the scales are moving in the GOP’s favor.