Former Biden administration spokesman Andrew Bates and longtime GOP strategist Terry Holt have joined forces to endorse Mikie Sherrill, the Democratic candidate for New Jersey governor, in a bid to highlight her affordability-focused policies. The endorsement, spearheaded by the bipartisan Cost Coalition, underscores the growing importance of economic relief in the state’s upcoming election, which will take place on Tuesday. The coalition, which includes allies from former Vice President Kamala Harris’s 2024 campaign, argues that both Sherrill and her Republican opponent, Jack Ciattarelli, are battling a severe affordability crisis in New Jersey, marked by high taxes, soaring housing costs, and inflated utility and grocery prices.
Bates, who served as Biden’s senior deputy press secretary, and Holt, a veteran Republican communicator who worked for John Boehner and the 2004 Bush-Cheney campaign, have criticized Republican leadership’s economic policies, calling them a “crisis threatening American livelihoods.” Their endorsement of Sherrill comes amid broader national debates over inflation, tariffs, and energy policies. Sherrill has campaigned on measures such as declaring a state of emergency to freeze electricity rates, shrinking school districts to lower property taxes, and encouraging competition in grocery markets to curb food costs. In contrast, Ciattarelli, who is backed by Trump, has pledged to eliminate wind farms, expand natural gas and nuclear energy, and shield small businesses from taxes on their first $100,000 in income, despite the coalition’s assertion that his policies mirror the Washington agenda driving up costs.
The Cost Coalition’s endorsement of Sherrill reflects a bipartisan effort to push for economic relief, but it has drawn sharp criticism from Ciattarelli’s camp. His campaign strategist, Chris Russell, dismissed the endorsement as evidence of “Trump Derangement Syndrome,” suggesting supporters are swayed by political bias rather than policy. As the race tightens, high-profile Democrats, including former President Barack Obama and Governor Josh Shapiro, have also joined Sherrill’s campaign. Meanwhile, Trump has continued to court New Jersey voters, hoping to flip the traditionally Democratic state, with recent polls showing a narrowing gap between the candidates. The election, held on Tuesday, carries significant implications for the national political landscape, with Republicans eyeing potential gains in key states.