Here are two things that many people believe to be true:
Mikie Sherrill is going to win the race to be the next governor. The polling seems to show that.
Mikie Sherrill is not connecting with the business community. Her speeches seem to show that.
The latest example was Monday afternoon at Fiddler’s Elbow County Club in Bedminster.
Speaking to the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey after its annual golf event, Sherrill gave a lackluster 6 minute, 32 second speech that was short on specifics – and passion.
It failed to produce any stand-up-and-cheer moments. But it did feature one time when she talked through an effort by a few audience members to start one.
More than that, the speech seemingly lacked an understanding of the serious issues and concerns of a community that has an astonishingly low net worth (less than $20,000 – or more than $500,000 less than white New Jerseyans) and struggles to get a fair rate on auto insurance, let alone a business loan.
Yes, Sherrill discussed the shameful disparity study, but she did so in a way that left many there unfulfilled.
“I’ll use my executive authority and work closely with the legislature to pass needed reform so that Black businesses have a fair shot at contracting opportunities,” she said.
Such as the series of bills that were introduced by members of the Legislature last fall, only to go nowhere — even after Gov. Phil Murphy mentioned them during his state of the state address.
“I’ll start by disaggregating the data that the state collects to better understand who’s actually receiving contracts,” she said.
That work already has been done.
The 221-page disparity study, released in January of 2024, spelled out how Blacks in N.J. represent 9.19% of the available construction businesses but received only 0.14% of the dollars on construction contracts valued at $65,000 to $5.71 million. The report estimates this potentially cost these Black businesses $209 million.
That’s pretty good data.
And here’s the thing: Everyone in the Black community — especially its business leaders —has known this to be true for generations. They didn’t need a disparity study to point this out. Especially one that took six years to produce — and will produce no legitimate results in the eight years of the Murphy administration, which effectively ran out the clock.
Some feel/fear that Sherrill is using the same playbook during the campaign.
Numerous supporters (from party officials to elected officials, from donors to fundraisers) have privately expressed concern to BINJE — all while remaining confident she ultimately will prevail.
But Sherrill’s lack of specifics on the campaign is increasingly becoming troubling among the business community.
Some members of the tech community said they were left with more questions than answers after her recent sit down with Aaron Price of TechUnited:NJ.
Her effort at the NJBIA event following her primary victory was not viewed favorably either.
The Black business community wanted more from Sherrill Monday. In fact, it increasingly wants more from a Democratic party it feels has taken their vote for granted for far too long.
The next speaker, Tanya Freeman – the chair of University Hospital in Newark who was speaking for Republican candidate Jack Ciattarelli – made that clear.
She started her speech by asking the crowd a series of questions.
“What if our ballot was more than a vote?” she started.
“What if our message was one that we’ve been waiting generations to send?
“What if we’ve been so loyal to the past that we’ve forgotten to negotiate our future?
“Our vote should never be taken for granted, and we cannot afford to accept recycled promises dressed up as progress.”
It was the first of many powerful lines that had the audience thinking.
Will it matter? Not likely. The business community is not going to be the difference in this race.
Mikie Sherrill is most likely going to win the election. Her party starts with a million more registered voters. She does great with a number of demographics (including women and suburban voters). She is smart, successful and extraordinarily likeable.
And she connects with many. It’s why she won the crowded Democratic primary with ease.
But she’s not connecting with the business community.
And all of these things can be true at the same time.
