Mikie Sherrill, the four-term congresswoman and former Navy helicopter pilot who cast her November election in New Jersey as a victory over President Donald Trump’s vision for the country, was inaugurated as the state’s 57th governor on Tuesday morning. Sherrill, 54 — just the second woman to lead the state of nearly 9.5 million people — is the first person from a major political party to be elected to a third straight term in more than six decades, succeeding two-term Democrat Phil Murphy. She swept to victory over her Trump-endorsed GOP rival in part by pinning blame for high costs on the president’s tariffs and promising that her first action once in office would be to order a freeze on skyrocketing utility rates. During the event, Sherrill took her oath of office on William Paterson’s bound copy of the Constitution of the State of New Jersey, the U.S. Constitution, and the Declaration of Independence, all held by Jason Hedberg, Sherrill’s husband. In taking to the podium, Sherrill thanked family and supports as well as fellow legislators in Congress, noting the work they have done to fight for health care, education and good jobs in the garden state.  “America is lucky to have you fighting for her,” she said.  Beyond these recognitions, Sherrill said she wanted to take her oath on the historic Constitution of the state of New Jersey, because she wanted to recognize the work of the founding fathers and she hopes to continue their legacy.  “The Constitution, born out of challenges of the early republic clearly lays out our values,” she said. “To form a more perfect union, to promote the general welfare, to secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity. Because, you see, inherent in our Constitution is a framework for opportunity.”  Much of her opening remarks focused on the idea of America and the nation’s origins focused on democracy. And, in moment that drew a wealth of applause, Sherrill reminded the audiance that America was founded on the idea of the rights of the individual, not the power of monarch. “Thomas Jefferson wrote a Declaration of our Independence, marking the birth of this great nation. This entirely unique and revolutionary declaration claimed human beings had universal rights to life, to liberty, to the pursuit of happiness,” she said. “Not because of who their parents were but because every human being is endowed with these rights by their creator, not by a king.” She made her allusions to the current precedency more clear, noting that her election showed that voters in New Jersey saw “parallels” the founding fathers’ fight against the British monarchy and the presidency of Donald Trump. “We see a president illegally usurping power, unconstitutionally enacting a tariff regime to make billions for himself and his family while everyone else sees their costs go higher,” said the newly inaugurated governor. “Here, we demand people in public service actually serve the public instead of buying themselves planes and cars and extorting money.” The event was held in Newark, the state’s largest city whose voters made up a key component of her winning coalition. It is a departure from previous inaugurations, which have included military artillery salutes along the Delaware River outside the statehouse in Trenton. She was sworn in as her former congressional colleague Abigail Spanberger comes into office in as Virginia’s governor after a similar double-digit victory over her Republican opponent and as the midterm elections start to come into sharper focus. Democrats are hopeful the president will be a drag on GOP candidates in key races across the country. Sherrill takes over from Murphy, a former Obama administration ambassador and Wall Street finance executive, who delivered on a number of progressive promises over eight years, including raising taxes on income over $1 million, boosting the minimum wage, expanding early childhood education and fully funding the state workers’ pension, which was underfunded for years before he took over. Murphy said Friday in his final news conference that he has been in regular touch with Sherrill about the transition. He summed up his two terms as governor as having lived up to promises he made on the campaign trail. “We were who we said would be,” Murphy said. “We didn’t campaign on my thesis and pull a fast one.” He is also passing along a state budget that has swelled over the years, raising the prospect of potential shortfalls if state revenues dip as well as an unfunded promise to continue a property tax relief program begun in the governor’s second term. Sherrill will have a Democrat-led Legislature to work with, one of more than a dozen where the party controls the legislature and governorship. The first woman to be governor of New Jersey is Christine Todd Whitman, a two-term Republican who went on to serve as George W. Bush’s Environmental Protection Agency administrator. New Jersey’s governorship has often switched back and forth between the parties. The last time the same party prevailed in a third straight gubernatorial election was in 1961. ...read more read less