By Sunayana Prabhu
NEWARK – Mikie Sherrill was sworn in as New Jersey’s 57th governor during an inaugural ceremony Jan. 20 at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center.
Within minutes of concluding her swearing in, Sherrill declared a state of emergency on utility costs, keeping her promise from the campaign trail. And she took a few shots at various federal policies, setting the tone for what’s to come under her leadership in New Jersey.
State Supreme Court Chief Justice Stuart Rabner administered the oath of office. Sherrill was sworn in on William Paterson’s bound copy of the Constitution of the State of New Jersey, the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, which was held by her husband, Jason Hedberg. She was surrounded by her four children, friends, state leaders and a host of dignitaries.
Sherrill, a Montclair resident, entered office as only the second woman to serve as governor of New Jersey – the first was Republican Christine Todd Whitman, who served from 1994 to 2001 – and the first Democratic woman elected to the office. Her inauguration, attended by roughly 2,000 people, closed the chapter on Middletown resident Gov. Phil Murphy’s two-term Democratic administration. Per New Jersey law, governors are limited to serving two terms.
Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell was also sworn in at the inauguration ceremony.
Sherrill kicked off her first day in office by signing two executive orders at the swearing-in ceremony. The first requires the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities to pause new utility requests for rate increases. “I will freeze rate hikes to finally provide families with real relief on their energy bills,” Sherrill said. The move is aimed at halting any new rate hikes and delivering immediate economic assistance to residents.
Details in the order indicate the current cost of electricity has reached a point of crisis for many residents. According to the data presented in the executive order, from June 2023 to June 2025, the average residential electricity price in the state rose by well over 33%, and the average electricity price for all customers in the state, including commercial customers, rose by nearly 30%. The order notes prices are expected to continue to rise due to systemic issues within the federally regulated regional power market in which New Jersey participates, which is administered by independent grid operator PJM.
The second executive order declared a state of emergency under the Disaster Control Act to plan long-term clean energy reform. “I am issuing an executive order directing the Board of Public Utilities to open solicitations for new solar and storage power generation to modernize gas and nuclear generation so we can lower utility costs over the long term,” Sherrill said.
At the State House in Trenton later that day, Sherrill signed four additional executive orders related to administrative appointments, measures to boost transparency and accountability in governance and improve children’s online safety and mental health.
With the new executive orders, Sherrill promised swift action to tackle the affordability crisis. “It won’t be easy,” she said, and “hard choices” will have to be made to drive down costs as federal funding declines. “But as I learned in the Navy, the only easy day was yesterday,” Sherrill said. “Luckily, we don’t need easy here in New Jersey. We have grit.”
Red Bank Deputy Mayor Kate Triggiano, who attended the ceremony, shared that “it was an honor to attend the inauguration of the first female Democratic governor in New Jersey’s history. In her speech, Gov. Sherrill leaned into the moment. She addressed key concerns we hear from our residents in Red Bank – affordability, clean energy and, most notably, the traumatizing ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) raids breaking the social order of our communities.”
Sherrill’s inaugural speech was steeped in New Jersey’s significant role in American history. She noted how the state is the “crossroads of the Revolution,” the site of George Washington’s first major victory at the Battle of Trenton, and the first state to unanimously ratify the U.S. Bill of Rights. The U.S. Constitution, she explained, represents a commitment between generations and a framework for opportunity, “also known the world over as the American dream.”
Tracing her own family’s challenging American journey through economic hardships, labor union issues and, ultimately, military service, Sherrill conveyed New Jersey’s long role as a destination for immigrants, Black families leaving the Jim Crow South, and workers seeking stability and dignity.
“The American dream starts with opening a door,” she said, noting that her administration would measure success by whether those doors remain open.
Sherrill minced no words in calling out political opponents in Washington. “We see a president illegally usurping power, unconstitutionally enacting a tariff regime to make billions for himself and his family while everyone else sees their costs go higher,” she said. “Remember me when you open up your electric bill and it hasn’t gone up by 20%. I can promise you it won’t be because I waste your money on a ballroom at Drumthwacket,” the governor’s mansion, Sherrill said, taking a shot at President Donald Trump’s renovations to the White House.
Throughout the address, Sherrill returned to the human cost of government inaction – parents worried about rent rising faster than wages, childcare costs rivaling college tuition, unpredictable health care and utility bills, and communities living in fear from hunger and from deportation raids.
She acknowledged by name small business owners, laborers, students, immigrants and families from across the state, describing New Jersey as a “new ark”– a place of refuge and opportunity.
The article originally appeared in the January 22 – 28, 2026 print edition of The Two River Times.
