Democratic candidate for governor of New Jersey pushes back after GOP questions her service record

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — The Democratic candidate for governor of New Jersey in this year’s high-stakes race is defending her Navy service record amid questions surrounding a cheating scandal during her time at the Naval Academy, and pushing back against the Trump administration’s release of her mostly unredacted military records.

Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill and Republican Jack Ciattarelli are competing to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy in New Jersey, one of just two states, along with Virginia, that are electing a governor this year.

With mail-in ballots already being returned in the Nov. 4 contest, news stories surfaced Thursday saying that Sherrill did not participate in her 1994 Naval Academy graduation ceremony amid fallout from an exam cheating scandal, though she was not directly implicated and was awarded her degree and commissioned as an officer in the Navy.

Another news story from CBS showed that Sherrill’s military record was released — improperly and mostly unredacted — to a Republican operative in New Jersey.

The fallout from the reports has turned up the heat in a race that already was being closely watched as a sign of how voters are reacting to President Donald Trump’s second term and how Democrats are responding to their 2024 election defeat.

Here’s a closer look at what we know and what we don’t about the developments.

Sherrill’s Naval Academy commencement under scrutiny

The New Jersey Globe reported Thursday that Sherrill, whose campaign has hinged on her service as a Navy veteran and helicopter pilot, did not walk in the Naval Academy commencement ceremony in 1994 and didn’t appear in a commencement program from the ceremony. The story says it was a punishment after an exam cheating scandal that year.

In a statement, Sherrill noted that she graduated and got her commission as an officer despite not walking. She went on to pilot Sea King helicopters during her service, a regular part of her campaign speech on the trail.

“I didn’t turn in some of my classmates, so I didn’t walk, but graduated and was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Navy, serving for nearly ten years with the highest level of distinction and honor,” she said.

Ciattarelli responds, attacks Sherrill

Ciattarelli’s campaign is using the development to attack Sherrill, calling on her to release more of her disciplinary and academic record and linking her to the scandal. The Republican former state lawmaker’s campaign is citing a pledge Sherrill recently made to be more transparent in order to pressure her to release more.

It’s unclear if there are further records to be released. Sherrill did not make any records in her possession available.

The Navy declined to comment. A message seeking comment was also left with the Naval Academy.

Sherrill’s records were released in ‘error’

Sherrill’s campaign attributed the release of information to the National Archives and included a letter dated Sept. 22 from the director of the National Personnel Records Center informing the congresswoman that it released “in error” her military file to an “unauthorized requester,” identified as a former Republican candidate for office in New Jersey.

A message seeking comment was left with the person who requested Sherrill’s records.

“On behalf of the National Archives, I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and aggravation this situation may cause you and for our failure to safeguard your military record from unauthorized release,” wrote director Scott Levins.

The information released included her unredacted Social Security number as well as her date of birth, according to the letter.

It’s not clear whether any of the records the National Archives released in error were related to the reasons she was not allowed to participate in the graduation ceremony.

What’s not known

It’s unclear whether there are more documents detailing what happened that led to Sherrill not taking part in the commencement. It’s also not clear why the National Archives technician who responded to the request for Sherrill’s military operation didn’t follow “standard operating procedures,” according to an email from Grace McCaffrey, the acting executive of external affairs and communications with the National Archives.

“The technician should not have released the entire record. Agency Management only became aware of this breach on September 22, and immediately initiated a thorough review of all internal controls,” McCaffrey said in an emailed statement.

Fundraising fuel for Sherrill?

By midday Friday, Sherrill had begun trying to use the episode to raise campaign contributions.

Calling it “a shameful attempt to smear” her, Sherrill’s campaign sent a fundraising email alleging the breach was “wildly unprecedented – and blatantly illegal,” as well as a “weaponization of the federal government.”

“These military records detail my early life, and go so far as to include my Social Security Number and insurance records. There are supposed to be several layers of checks set up to prevent something like this,” the message quotes Sherrill as saying.

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Associated Press writer Tom Beaumont in Des Moines, Iowa, contributed.