The Democratic nominee for New Jersey governor, Rep. Mikie Sherrill, wants voters to believe she’s a champion of fairness and ethics. Yet she’s now facing accusations of nepotism after revelations that her own children were admitted to the U.S. Naval Academy under circumstances that raise serious questions about political influence.
Let’s cut through the spin: Sherrill proudly announced that 24 students from her district were accepted into military academies this year—yet quietly omitted that two of them were her own kids. If this was truly a merit-based success story, why hide it? Transparency should have been automatic, especially for someone running on a platform of accountability.
When pressed, Sherrill claimed she recused herself from the nomination process and that her children were nominated through Senate offices. That’s supposed to reassure us. It doesn’t. The problem isn’t just who submitted the paperwork—it’s that families with political clout have access and leverage that ordinary Americans simply don’t.
Her campaign’s response has been even worse. Instead of addressing the concerns head-on, Sherrill dismissed the criticism as a “depraved attack.” In other words: “How dare you ask questions?” That’s not the voice of a leader committed to transparency—it’s the voice of an insider circling the wagons.
This is exactly why Americans are so cynical about politics. The political class tells us the system is fair while their own families get backdoor opportunities. Regular students sweat over grades, applications, and recommendations. Politicians’ kids? They glide through the process with connections and denials.
Sherrill’s Naval Academy controversy isn’t just about her children. It’s about whether voters are willing to accept yet another politician who insists she plays by the rules while benefiting from a system stacked in her favor. If she can’t be honest about something as straightforward as this, why should anyone trust her to govern a state already drowning in corruption and cronyism?
Elites live by one set of rules, the rest of us by another. Mikie Sherrill just proved it.
