Dem gubernatorial nominee hit with accusations of nepotism over children's acceptance into Naval Academy

New Jersey Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mikie Sherrill, who is currently embroiled in a controversy involving a cheating scandal while she studied at the U.S. Naval Academy, is facing questions and accusations of nepotism over her children being admitted to that same academy earlier this year.

“I am so proud of all the young men and women from NJ-11 who are reporting to the military academies or academy preparatory programs this summer,” Sherrill said in a June press release highlighting 24 students from her district being appointed to various military academies including two of her children, Lincoln and Margaret Hedberg. 

The press release did not note that the two students with her husband’s last name were her children and the photo in the release showing Sherrill posing with the students does not include her children.

“From my time at the Naval Academy, I remember how challenging the academy’s programs are — both academically and physically,” the press release added. “Learning to work as a team and overcoming those challenges prepared me to lead servicemembers as a military officer. I am grateful for these young men and women who are willing to serve our nation in uniform and I wish them the best of luck as they start their careers as future military leaders.”

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Members of Congress nominate students to the service academies while the actual academies make the appointments after the representatives submit a list of nominees by the end of January and the academies appoint qualified candidates. 

Some on social media have suggested nepotism was at play with their acceptance into the academy given that only 22 students from her district were admitted to the military academies, including just nine to the naval academy, according to the press release. 

College rankings show that admissions to the Naval Academy are very competitive with a 9% acceptance rate.

“Mikie Sherrill’s two kids are at the Naval Academy, one of the hardest schools to get into, because of her nepotism,” Rasmussen pollster Mark Mitchell posted on X. “Meanwhile, some hardworking, impoverished, and unconnected teenagers lose out on a life dream they earned.”

Journalist Jennifer Jean Miller posted on X, “Far left politicians like Mikie Sherrill like to virtue signal about privilege…yet have no problem exerting their own privilege. How did Mikie Sherrill’s two kids get into the Naval Academy? Did two other deserving students miss out because of her nepotism?”

While many on social media have claimed that Sherrill nominated one of her children, an aide for Democratic Sen. Cory Booker confirmed to Fox News Digital that Booker nominated one of Sherrill’s children for this year’s freshman class. 

“Each year, Senator Booker, as a member of Congress, has the honor of nominating qualified young people to serve in the United States military service academies,” Booker’s office told Fox News Digital. 

“Prospective candidates go through an extensive application and screening process with service members and academy volunteers to recommend the best candidates to the academy based on merit. The candidates put forth for each academy represent the best and brightest that New Jersey has to offer.”

Sherrill’s other child was nominated by now-former Democratic Sen. George Helmy, a Helmy spokesperson confirmed to Fox News Digital.

Sherrill told Fox News Digital in a statement that, in “order to remove even the appearance of a conflict of interest, my children did not compete in my office’s service academy nomination process.”

“Instead, they applied to the offices of the U.S. Senators from New Jersey, who also run academy nomination processes each year, and I am proud that they each earned nominations on their own,” Sherrill added.

“Every year, our office runs a competitive and nonpolitical process to select the best nominees to submit to the academies. I am honored to nominate the service academy appointees from our district who step up to serve our country.”

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When asked by Fox News Digital why Sherrill’s press release did not include her children in the picture or mention their relationship to her, Sherrill’s office said that her child appointed by Booker attended that ceremony and that the press release listed all the students from NJ-11 who were appointed to academies, not just those she nominated, which is “routine for the office.”

Sherrill’s campaign called the nepotism questions a “depraved attack” in a statement to Fox News Digital. 

“The Trump administration, in concert with the Ciattarelli campaign, released Mikie Sherrill’s unredacted service records — including her Social Security number and parents’ address — and now is desperately doubling down by attacking Mikie’s husband and kids,” the statement said. “It’s despicable, wrong, and underscores just how unfit Jack Ciattarelli is to be governor.” 

Federal law (10 U.S.C. § 8454) states that members of Congress may nominate up to 15 candidates for each available vacancy at the U.S. Naval Academy. “Each member of Congress can have 5 constituents attending the Naval Academy at any time,” according to their admissions website.

The combustible ballot box battle in New Jersey, which is one of only two elections for governor across the country this year, was rocked last week after a report revealed that the United States Naval Academy blocked Sherrill from taking part in her 1994 graduation amid a cheating scandal.

Ciattarelli and his campaign are calling on Sherrill, who went on to pilot helicopters during her military career after graduating from the Naval Academy, to release her military records to explain why she was blocked from attending her graduation ceremony.

“What we learned today is that she was part of it in some way, shape or form. Come clean, release the records. Tell us what’s in your disciplinary records. I think the people of New Jersey deserve that,” Ciattarelli said Thursday night in an interview on Fox News’ “Hannity.”

But a second report revealed that the National Personnel Records Center, which is a branch of the National Archives and Records Administration, errantly released Sherrill’s improperly redacted military personnel files, which included private information including her social security number, to a Ciattarelli ally. 

The news spurred calls by top Democrats across the country for an investigation.

“To have a guy I’m running against, it will stop at nothing, it will stop at nothing, who will illegally obtain records. It’s just beyond the pale,” Sherrill, who served as a federal prosecutor before winning election to Congress, charged Thursday night on the campaign trail in Plainfield, New Jersey.

The two candidates face off next week in the second and final debate in the race to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy.