Sherrill Hits 44% Favorability in Rutgers-Eagleton Poll

Mikie Sherrill is wrapping up her first 100 days as New Jersey’s governor with approval numbers that track closely with her predecessors, according to the latest Rutgers-Eagleton Poll. The results show a state still sizing up its new leader, with a significant chunk of the electorate holding off on any verdict.

Forty-four percent of New Jersey residents hold a favorable impression of Sherrill, while 29% view her unfavorably. Her first approval rating closely mirrors that favorability split: 45% approve of the job she is doing, 29% disapprove, and 26% remain unsure. A quarter of respondents still have no opinion of her at all, and 3% say they don’t know who she is.

Those numbers actually put Sherrill at the top of the political figures included in the poll. That’s not a bad place to stand three months into the job, but the open questions embedded in those figures are the more telling part of the story.

Ashley Koning, an assistant research professor and director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling at Rutgers University-New Brunswick, offered context for the numbers. “No governor can move the needle on the issues that matter most to New Jerseyans in just 100 days, especially against the backdrop of a hyperpartisan political climate and kitchen-table concerns like cost of living that have been building for years and will not yield overnight,” Koning said. “But among those who have made up their minds, about 6 in 10 hold a favorable impression and approve of the job Sherrill is doing. These are solid baseline numbers, and the real test will come as New Jerseyans see more of what she can deliver.”

The poll also asked residents to assign Sherrill a traditional letter grade across several policy areas. Her overall marks reflect a governor who has not yet moved the needle dramatically in either direction. Thirteen percent give her an A for her overall performance, 30% a B, 19% a C, 11% a D, and 14% an F. Fourteen percent were unsure.

The numbers get harder when the focus shifts to taxes and affordability, which have been the dominant concerns for New Jersey families for years. On cost of living, just 5% of residents give Sherrill an A, 13% a B, 21% a C, 16% a D, and 30% an F. On taxes, the picture is similar: 6% give her an A, 14% a B, 21% a C, 14% a D, and 28% an F.

Those F grades on affordability and taxes are substantial, and they reflect frustration that predates Sherrill by years. New Jersey consistently ranks among the highest-taxed states in the country, and the cost of housing, insurance, and everyday expenses has been squeezing residents long before she took office in January. A new governor absorbs that anger whether or not she is responsible for it. Sherrill is learning that reality quickly.

On the state economy and jobs, her grades soften somewhat. Eight percent give her an A, 21% a B, 21% a C, 13% a D, and 18% an F, with 20% unsure. On budget and government spending, 9% give her an A, 20% a B, 16% a C, 12% a D, and 21% an F.

Koning noted that Sherrill’s grades mirror much of what pollsters recorded as [Phil Murphy](https://biography.wiki/a/Phil Murphy) left office, suggesting continuity in how residents grade their governor rather than any dramatic shift in public mood.

The honest read here is that Sherrill enters the next phase of her tenure with a workable foundation and a very clear mandate from the public. New Jerseyans are not looking for speeches about long-term structural reform. They want their property tax bills to stop climbing and their paychecks to stretch further. The 100-day window is largely a media construct, but the months ahead will carry real weight. Budget season in Trenton will test what kind of governor she actually intends to be. The electorate is watching, and a significant portion of it has not made up its mind yet. That is both an opportunity and a warning.