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Washington — With three months to go until the critical midterm elections, New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill is taking her first major step onto the national political stage to help Democratic candidates with military service win in competitive frontline races.
The centrist Democrat, who won in a top battleground race last year, will use her federal political action committee to endorse a slate of Democratic contenders who are running in some of the country’s most competitive congressional races as she signals an interest in shaping the Democratic Party’s direction ahead of the 2028 presidential election, CBS News has learned.
Sherrill’s Mission to Deliver PAC will announce its first round of key endorsements Thursday, backing 13 Democratic candidates with military or national security backgrounds in House and Senate races across the midterm landscape.
The candidates include Massachusetts Rep. Seth Moulton, who is mounting an insurgent challenge against two-term incumbent Democrat Sen. Edward Markey.
The group is also endorsing Reps. Don Davis of North Carolina and Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire, who represent what could be competitive districts — and, in Davis’ case, a district that was redrawn to become more favorable to Republicans.
Most of the other endorsees are aiming to unseat House Republicans in seats that Democrats are targeting, including former Rep. Elaine Luria of Virginia, JoAnna Mendoza of Arizona, Eileen Laubacher and Jessica Killin of Colorado, Bale Dalton of Florida, Zach Dembo of Kentucky, Rebecca Bennett of New Jersey and Cait Conley of New York. Also on the list: Maura Sullivan, who is running for the New Hampshire House seat currently held by Senate candidate Chris Pappas.
The endorsements are the first from her PAC, which Sherrill launched to support candidates with military service and public leadership experience. According to a source familiar with Sherrill’s plans, additional endorsements are expected in the coming months, and Sherrill plans to campaign aggressively for Democrats in key battleground states, including Nevada, New Hampshire, Texas and Wisconsin.
Mission to Deliver PAC raked in just under $1.2 million in contributions between late last year and June 30, much of it from PACs linked to labor unions, according to Federal Election Commission filings.
The effort comes as Sherrill, a former Navy helicopter pilot and Naval Academy graduate who was elected New Jersey governor last year after serving in Congress, seeks to build a national political profile at a pivotal moment for Democrats. As the party debates its identity following losses to President Trump and Republicans in the 2024 elections and looks ahead to an open presidential contest in 2028, Sherrill has increasingly emerged as part of a group of Democratic governors seeking to shape the party’s future.
In announcing the endorsements, Sherrill focused on the candidates’ military service and contrasted them with Mr. Trump, who did not serve in the military.
“Each one of these candidates has taken multiple oaths to the U.S. Constitution. They know what it means to serve others and accomplish the mission, whatever it takes,” Sherrill said in a statement to CBS News. “When we send veterans to Washington, we are sending in dedicated public servants who are trained to run towards the fight and are unafraid to take on the status quo.”
She also criticized Mr. Trump for launching a military campaign against Iran. Sherrill accused him of sending U.S. troops “into harm’s way for a war he shouldn’t have gotten into and can’t get out of,” while arguing he has prioritized personal interests over those of the country.
The endorsements also emphasize Democrats’ continued effort to recruit veterans for competitive congressional races, a strategy party leaders have embraced for years in swing districts where military credentials are viewed as an asset with independent and moderate voters.
Sherrill’s time in the Navy has long been a core part of her pitch to voters. After she was elected to the House in 2018, she was part of an informal caucus of newly elected House Democrats with intelligence or military backgrounds and fairly moderate politics who ousted GOP incumbents that year. Her fellow “national security Democrats” in 2018 included Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado, Luria, Abigail Spanberger, who is now Virginia’s governor, and Elissa Slotkin, who now represents Michigan in the Senate.
For Sherrill, the endorsements could represent more than a midterm strategy. They may help her establish the infrastructure of a national political operation that could give her influence over the next generation of Democratic leaders — and potentially the party’s presidential field — well before the first votes are cast in the 2028 nominating contest.
In a July interview with Politico Playbook marking six months in office, Sherrill acknowledged she hopes to play an influential role in selecting the Democratic Party’s next presidential nominee.
“The short answer is yes,” Sherrill said last month when asked whether she wants to be a 2028 power broker. “I want to make sure that what we see in any candidate in ’28 and anybody that gets across the finish line, I want to see somebody who is on track with the focus that New Jersey has on creating opportunity for everyone and a great future for our kids.”
