Frelinghuysen Challenger Mikie Sherrill Raises Nearly $500,000

Mikie Sherill, a former federal prosecutor and Navy veteran, announced she raised roughly $498,000 this past quarter.

Mikie Sherrill. Mikie Sherrill

Mikie Sherrill, a Democrat seeking to oust Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-11), raised nearly half a million dollars from July through September, according to her campaign.

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A former federal prosecutor and Navy veteran, Sherrill announced she raised slightly more than $498,000 from more than 3,000 donors in the quarter that ended Sept. 30. She has more than $495,000 on hand, her campaign said in a news release.

Sherrill is challenging Frelinghuysen, a Republican incumbent of more than two decades, in the 2018 midterm election for the seat in the 11th congressional district. Other Democrats are also lining up for the seat and the $500,000 haul makes Sherrill the early front-runner in the party primary.

Democrats are planning to nationalize the race next year by tying Frelinghuysen, the chairman of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, to President Trump and his agenda, which doesn’t play well among New Jersey voters. The district is reliably Republican, but the Cook Political Report shifted it one degree to the left after Republicans tried to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. Frelinghuysen was one of two New Jersey votes in the House in favor of a controversial bill to rewrite Obamacare, along with Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-3).

“We’re building a movement in New Jersey’s 11th,” Sherrill said in a statement. “From diner tours to house parties, I am working to make sure the voters of this district are heard.”

Sherrill outpaced Frelinghuysen in fundraising during in the third quarter, but he still has the bigger war chest. Frelinghuysen raised more than $156,000 during the same time period, and has nearly $971,000 on hand.

Former Passaic County Freeholder John Bartlett, another Democratic challenger to Frelinghuysen, has not yet filed any campaign finance forms, according to the Federal Election Commission.

Frelinghuysen Challenger Mikie Sherrill Raises Nearly $500,000