In a stunning revelation shaking up the New Jersey governor’s race, Rep. Mikie Sherrill, a Democratic candidate, has come under fire for her involvement in a 1992 cheating scandal at the U.S. Naval Academy that barred her from walking at her 1994 graduation, as the New York Post reports.
The controversy, tied to a major academic integrity breach involving 130 midshipmen and compounded by the recent unauthorized release of her unredacted military records, has intensified scrutiny on Sherrill as she battles Republican Jack Ciattarelli in a newly competitive race.
The scandal dates back to 1992, when Sherrill was a midshipman at the U.S. Naval Academy. It centered on an electrical engineering exam where answers were improperly obtained and shared among students. The incident implicated 130 members of her class, with around two dozen ultimately expelled.
The fallout was significant, prompting a congressional inquiry into the academy’s handling of the matter. Rear Adm. Thomas Lynch, the superintendent at the time, resigned amid the controversy. The episode became one of the most notable breaches of honor in the institution’s history.
By May 25, 1994, when Sherrill’s class graduated, she was not permitted to walk during the commencement ceremony. Her name was absent from the official program, as confirmed by records recently obtained by the New Jersey Globe. Despite this, Sherrill graduated and was commissioned as a naval officer.
Sherrill has explained that her exclusion from the ceremony stemmed from her decision not to inform on fellow classmates involved in the incident. “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 stated.
After her naval service from 1994 to 2003, Sherrill transitioned to a career as a prosecutor before entering politics. She has often emphasized her military background, including her role as a helicopter pilot, as a cornerstone of her public image. She also earned a Navy Achievement Medal in 1991 for saving a classmate’s life.
Whispers of her involvement in the academy scandal surfaced during her 2018 congressional campaign, but definitive evidence only emerged with this recent report. Sherrill has declined to release sealed disciplinary records that could clarify the exact reasons behind her exclusion from the graduation walk.
The timing of these revelations coincides with a tight race for New Jersey governor. Recent polling from Emerson College Polling/PIX11/The Hill shows Sherrill tied with Ciattarelli at 43% each, a shift from earlier surveys where she held a substantial lead. Previous polls had often underestimated Ciattarelli, as seen in his 2021 campaign.
Adding fuel to the fire, the National Archives and Records Administration recently released Sherrill’s unredacted military records to Nicholas De Gregorio, an ally of Ciattarelli. These documents included sensitive details such as her Social Security number. A National Archives spokesperson admitted, “The technician should NOT have released the entire record,” and confirmed an internal review is underway.
Sherrill’s campaign has fiercely criticized the release as a violation of privacy and federal law. “The Trump administration blatantly violated federal law by releasing Mikie Sherrill’s unredacted personal military records to an agent of the Ciattarelli campaign, which were then distributed and weaponized by Jack Ciattarelli,” said Sean Higgins, Sherrill’s communications director.
Higgins further demanded action, stating, “We are calling on Jack Ciattarelli and the Trump administration to immediately stop illegally distributing Mikie Sherrill’s military files, with protected personal information like her Social Security Number, and we will explore appropriate legal action.”
Democratic leaders have rallied behind Sherrill, condemning the unauthorized disclosure. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) declared, “I support a criminal investigation into the unauthorized and illegal release of Mikie Sherrill’s record. Mikie Sherrill is a patriot and a hero who has served this country.”
Jeffries added, “It’s outrageous that Donald Trump and his administration and political hacks connected to them continue to violate the law, and they will be held accountable.” Similarly, Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin accused the release of being a politically motivated act by Republicans.
As the governor’s race heats up, the resurfacing of the Naval Academy incident and the breach of Sherrill’s personal records have cast a shadow over her campaign. With both candidates neck-and-neck in the polls, these developments could sway undecided voters. The coming weeks will likely see further debate over Sherrill’s past and the ethics of political tactics in this contentious election.
