Congratulations, Governor Sherrill. We’ll Be Watching.

New Jersey just elected Mikie Sherrill as its next governor—a victory her campaign painted as a win for “families fighting the opioid crisis.” But if history teaches us anything, it’s this: when Big Pharma cuts the checks, the public pays the price.

Let’s look at the record.

Sherrill’s congressional campaigns accepted more than $25,000 from pharmaceutical giants directly tied to the opioid epidemic—Johnson & Johnson, Teva, AmerisourceBergen, and Endo. These are firms that paid billions in settlements for flooding America with addictive drugs while claiming innocence the whole way down.

• Johnson & Johnson: up to $5 billion in opioid settlements.

• Teva: up to $4.2 billion.

• AmerisourceBergen: $6.1 billion.

• Endo: $1 billion.

These donations to Sherrill were strategic. The same corporations that pleaded out for their role in one of the deadliest public health crises in U.S. history was looking for a new friend in a rising star with national ambitions.

And yes—Sherrill’s team insists she “helped pass bipartisan legislation” to fight addiction. That’s commendable. But it doesn’t erase the fact that her campaign was funded, in part, by the same industry she now claims to hold accountable.

It’s the oldest trick in politics: condemn the hand that feeds you—then cash the check anyway.

The Pharma Accountability Project was built for moments like this. Our mission is simple: follow the money, expose the influence, and demand accountability—especially when the people taking pharma’s dollars claim to be protecting the public from them.

Governor Sherrill now leads a state that has buried thousands of residents lost to opioids. She owes them more than speeches and symbolism. She owes them independence—from donors, from lobbyists, and from the quiet pressure that always comes when the cameras turn off.

We hope she delivers.
We also won’t be taking her word for it.

Welcome to Trenton, Governor. We’ll be watching.