As polls show Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) with a narrow lead in the run-up to New Jersey’s gubernatorial election, less than two weeks away, the Democratic lawmaker has stepped up her efforts to court the state’s sizable Jewish community — whose support could make the difference in what is expected to be a close race.

In recent weeks, Sherrill has previewed a plan of action to counter antisemitism in a webinar led by Jewish Democrats, joined calls for the state’s largest teachers’ union to fire an editor of its magazine over antisemitic and pro-Hamas social media comments and met with Orthodox Jewish leaders in Lakewood who represent an influential voting bloc. 

The moderate congresswoman, who has held a northern New Jersey House seat since 2019, has condemned her Republican rival, Jack Ciattarelli, for appearing onstage at an event last weekend just after a Muslim affairs advisor had said he was “not taking money from Jews,” a remark Sherrill called “blatant antisemitism” from her opponent’s “inner circle.”

In addition to attending a Jewish event with Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) late last month in Bergen County, Sherrill is also expected to join Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and other Democratic leaders for a fundraiser on Saturday hosted at the home of Shawn Klein, the Jewish deputy mayor of Livingston, in northeastern New Jersey.

The increased engagement and attention to Jewish issues comes as Sherrill finds herself in a tightening race against Ciattarelli, who came close to unseating term-limited Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy in 2021 and was trailing by just five points in a poll released Thursday. The state’s significant Jewish population could help tip the scales for either candidate — with Ciattarelli depending on particularly robust turnout from the Orthodox community.

Her engagement otherwise comes as she has faced lingering reservations from some Jewish leaders in the state who believe she embraced a more critical approach to Israel in the aftermath of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, including early calls for a pause in fighting in Gaza. 

And on a key piece of state legislation that would codify the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism, some Jewish leaders have voiced frustration with Sherrill’s evolving stance. While she previously endorsed the bill, Sherrill recently added caveats about free speech concerns to her position before offering more direct support, according to two Jewish leaders who have advocated for the legislation.

“I’m not sure she realized the depth of concern she has in the Jewish community,” one Jewish leader in the state, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to address a sensitive matter, told Jewish Insider on Thursday.

Sherrill has since registered feedback from Jewish activists and has “tightened up” her stance, according to the community leader. “Her statement on IHRA was rather weak and she now understands her response was seen as weak,” he said.

“This has always been an issue of concern in the race that maybe the Jewish community wasn’t going to be with her,” said another Jewish leader familiar with Sherrill’s campaign, pointing to a recent “uptick in outreach.”

In a statement to JI, Carly Jones, a spokesperson for Sherrill, said the congresswoman “has long been a friend to the Jewish community, and as governor, she will fight to lower costs, protect our kids, and combat antisemitism.”  

“Mikie will take real action to combat antisemitism by securing houses of worship, protect kids to ensure they’re safe at school and welcome on college campuses, ensure people can practice their religion with pride, appoint an attorney general who will protect communities against hate crimes, and strengthen the role of the Interfaith Advisory Council,” Jones added.

While Sherrill is not expected to perform well among Jewish voters in the conservative Orthodox enclave of Lakewood, which Ciattarelli has aggressively courted over several years, it was still regarded as a positive gesture that she chose to visit the community earlier this week to meet with local leaders, according to an Orthodox activist familiar with the matter who was granted anonymity to speak freely.

“I think she understands that this is a town that is just going to go overwhelmingly for her opponent,” the activist told JI, predicting the Lakewood Vaad, an influential coalition of local rabbis, is preparing to announce its endorsement of Ciattarelli over the weekend — even as the Republican candidate has refused to acknowledge that his Muslim relations advisor used antisemitic rhetoric.

The visit was initially set for early September, but Sherrill had been forced to reschedule because of a conflict on Capitol Hill.

During the meeting Thursday, marking her first visit to Lakewood in the general election, Sherrill toured the community, discussed local issues such as childcare and busing, and attended a fundraiser hosted by business leaders from across the state as well as locals hedging their bets as Sherrill remains favored in the election, according to the Orthodox activist.

Another Jewish leader familiar with Sherrill’s campaign said her team was “acutely aware that Lakewood would be a challenge due to” President Donald Trump’s “heavy engagement there in recent years.”

The congresswoman “has a very solid record on Israel and the Jewish community throughout her time in Congress, but I think the shift to the right by the Orthodox community has been a challenge for her,” the Jewish leader told JI.

Micah Rasmussen, director of Rider University’s Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics, said the Orthodox vote in Lakewood, which includes around 30,000 registered Republicans, could lend a helpful boost to Ciattarelli’s campaign — as Sherrill seeks to shore up broader Jewish community support across the state.

“In 2021, Jack Ciattarelli came out of Lakewood 5,000 votes ahead of Phil Murphy, but that was without the Vaad’s endorsement,” Rasmussen said. “Should he get the endorsement this time, he could triple his previous margin or potentially even more. That certainly isn’t enough to get him across the finish line all by itself, but it helps.”