New Jersey Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mikie Sherrill rated New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s (D) tenure as a “B” on Friday, crediting him for his efforts funding state pensions and the state’s positive crediting rates while expressing frustration with the culture of Trenton. 

“I think I’d give him about a ‘B,” Sherrill told anchor Dan Mannarino during a PIX11 News gubernatorial forum. “He certainly has paid into the pension. He’s had the credit rating increased nine times, which is great.” 

“But I’m also really frustrated. I think there’s a culture in Trenton that needs to have a culture shift, a get-to-know culture that needs to be a work-with-the-citizens-of-New Jersey culture,” she added. “I’m frustrated with where we are in electricity costs and that the red tape and bureaucracy has not been appropriately addressed, and so we are not getting new projects into the ground to drive down costs for people.” 

Murphy’s office declined to comment on Sherrill’s remarks.

Sherrill is running against Republican candidate Jack Ciattarelli next month in the race to succeed Murphy. Sherrill is trying to defy historical trends as a political party hasn’t won three consecutive terms for governor since the early 1960s. 

While off-year elections can tend to skew older, and therefore more Republican, Democrats have been overperforming in races this year, and Sherrill has sought to tie Ciattarelli to President Trump, nationalizing the race. 

Murphy put in more than $47 billion to state pensions since serving as governor, according to the New Jersey Monitor — outpacing many of his recent predecessors, though the news outlet noted that adequate funding ratios for pensions still remain a serious concern.

The New Jersey governor has also enjoyed several crediting rating upgrades since he helmed the state in 2017, with it receiving its latest credit rating upgrade last month from Moody’s from Aa3 to A1. 

Sherrill is not the first to call for change in New Jersey politics, which has been bedeviled by political corruption, sexual harassment and assault, and infighting, among other issues.

Electricity costs are also a major issue in the Garden State, where the cost of electricity prices increased as much as 20 percent since June. The state has taken steps to reduce the financial burden for those in the state, including offering a $100 credit to nearly 4 million New Jerseyans and increasing solar access in the state as a way to offset those costs. 

Yet, economy and affordability have been top of mind for voters in a state that is among the top five highest taxed states in the country.