ROI Influencers Power List 2026: Super 75
Mikie Sherrill
Governor
State of New Jersey
Gov. Mikie Sherrill doesn’t shy away from mentioning her time as a Navy helicopter pilot.
The experience, she often says, taught her leadership values and crisis management.
“I know the world feels like it is on fire right now,” Sherrill said in her first campaign ad in April 2025. “But I was trained in the Navy that, in a crisis, you run toward the fight.”
What puts her on the ROI-NJ Influencers Power List is just that: her piloting the state through times of political chaos, economic uncertainty, and international conflict.
Now entering her third month in office, Sherrill has faced several fights and came out on top for New Jersey.
On her first day, she signed her first executive order establishing a state of emergency on utility prices, responding to statewide concerns about skyrocketing energy costs.
In her first two months, the state saw a historic blizzard that forced Sherrill to safely lead New Jerseyans through treacherous weather conditions.
Since then, she has also spearheaded public communications as state transportation
administrators initiate PATH repairs and NJ TRANSIT’s Portal Bridge Cutover, impacting rail and light rail commuters statewide.
Along with these displays of leadership, Sherrill still has challenges ahead of her, especially
when it comes to handling changing tides in the federal government.
Under Sherrill, state leaders have reinstated funding for the Gateway Tunnel Project. If the
project faces additional federal funding challenges — as it has for the past several months — Sherrill will likely need to turn up the heat.
With Sen. Markwayne Mullin taking former Sec. Kristi Noem’s spot in the Department of
Homeland Security, Sherrill may need to adapt her strategy against the activities of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, who have been reported in communities across the state.
As the U.S. enters an escalated conflict with Iran, state residents and business leaders alike are left wondering what this means for service members’ safety and the price of resources like gas.
After promising to defend New Jersey along the campaign trail, Sherrill will have to show just what that defense looks like.
Sherrill has long vowed “a different kind of leadership” for New Jersey. As her tenure unravels over the next four years, the question remains: will the former helicopter pilot soar us to success, or will she fly too close to the Sun?
Whatever the answer may be, it’s easy to see that Sherrill’s energy is already shaking things up.
