One sign that Democratic congressional candidate Mikie Sherrill is moving into the 11th district: she is trying to rent out her 1865 Victorian home in Montclair that sits in Donald Payne’s district. A Zillow listing has it available for $10,000-a-month.
Sherill, the front-runner to take on Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-Harding), is under no legal obligation to live in the district. The rental listing is an indication that she wants to inoculate herself from residency attacks by the incumbent, whose family has lived in the district since the 18th century. But she’s open to criticism that if she loses, she plans to move back to the Payne district.
Like many first-time candidates, Sherrill will also face some criticism for not voting in Democratic primaries for eight years; she voted in a Democratic primary in Montclair for the first time in 2017. Sherill also missed the 2013 gubernatorial election.