The president of the Newark/North Jersey Committee on Black Churchmen will support Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-Montclair) for the Democratic nomination for governor in 2025.

“I am urging Mikie to run because she’s a fighter for the people, and should she run,  I am ready to do everything I can to help,” said Bishop Jethro James, the senior pastor at the Paradise Baptist Church in Newark.

His support marks the first defection of a prominent Newark minister in a gubernatorial primary that also includes the mayor of Newark, Ras Baraka.

“Our next governor must be a person with integrity and heart, someone who understands that New Jersey’s rich diversity is our strength, and cares not just for themselves, but for the people, and that is Mikie Sherrill,” James said.  “As a U.S. Navy veteran, attorney, and a distinguished Member of Congress, her credentials are unmatched — and the ‘best man for the job’ in this case is a strong Democratic woman.”

James said he met Sherrill for the first time in 2018 when she sought to flip New Jersey’s 11th district congressional seat held for 24 years by Republican Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-Harding).

“She had her young daughter in tow because she couldn’t find childcare that day,” he recalled.  “As a wife and working mother of four wonderful kids, she knows what it’s like to juggle responsibilities, and she will fight to ensure that all of New Jersey’s children have access to a quality education and affordable childcare.”

He also praised Sherrill’s work as an outreach and re-entry coordinator for the U.S. Attorney’s office during her time as a federal prosecutor.

Sherrill is widely expected to join the race later this year after her re-election campaign for a fourth term is concluded.