New Jersey governor hopeful Mikie Sherrill blocked from Naval Academy graduation over cheating scandal
Records show her name was not listed on the 1994 commencement program; she says she declined to report classmates involved.
Rep. Mikie Sherrill, a Democratic candidate for New Jersey governor, was blocked from walking at the U.S. Naval Academy’s 1994 graduation amid a cheating scandal that affected about 130 midshipmen. Records reviewed by the New Jersey Globe show her name was not listed on the May 25, 1994 commencement program.
Sherrill has said she did not turn in some of her classmates who were implicated and, as a result, was not allowed to walk, though she was later commissioned as an officer and served nearly a decade in the Navy with distinction. "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," Sherrill told the New Jersey Globe. She declined to authorize the release of sealed disciplinary records that would reveal the specifics of the penalties she faced.
Sherrill is a U.S. representative from New Jersey and, beyond her Navy service, has worked as a federal prosecutor. She announced last year that she would seek the governorship. The Post noted that requests for comment to the Sherrill campaign were not immediately returned.
News of the Naval Academy episode comes as Sherrill's gubernatorial bid has drawn attention in a competitive field. A public poll published hours after the report showed Sherrill and Republican Jack Ciattarelli tied in voters’ preferences for governor.
Sherrill's military and legal background is central to her campaign as she seeks to broaden her appeal beyond her congressional district, with her past at the Navy and as a federal prosecutor forming a consistent throughline in her biography. The new examination of her academy years adds a historic, biographical angle to the campaign narrative as she positions herself against Ciattarelli and other contenders in New Jersey politics.