Trenton, N.J. – In the middle of New Jersey’s contentious governor’s race, Republican and conservatives on social media have latched onto a new line of mocking Democratic candidate Rep. Mikie Sherrill: calling her “Becky.”
First they called her “Vanilla Harris” and “East Coast Kamala”, now she’s just Becky and Rebecca online to many on the right.
The nickname, drawn from her legal name Rebecca Michelle Sherrill ( Hedberg), has taken hold on social media, where critics use it to paint her as inauthentic or privileged. The label comes as Sherrill faces heightened scrutiny over her military record and congressional voting history.
Key Points
- Conservatives online have branded Mikie Sherrill as “Becky,” mocking her legal name.
- The attacks coincide with controversy over leaked military records from her Naval Academy days.
- Sherrill’s campaign calls the moves political “dirty tricks.”
Her chosen nickname “Mikie,” adopted during her time at the Naval Academy, has become a focal point of conservative criticism.
Online nickname war
Posts from right-leaning users have urged others to “call her Becky,” mocking her branding as “Mikie” and tying it to accusations of fraudulence.
The term also carries cultural baggage: in popular slang, “Becky” has been used as a derogatory label for a privileged or out-of-touch white woman. Conservatives appear to be repurposing the term against Sherrill, pairing it with attacks on her immigration and gender policy stances.
The online campaign escalated alongside revelations that the National Archives released unredacted files from Sherrill’s time at the Naval Academy.
Those records referenced a 1993 cheating investigation in which she was named. Critics, including Republican nominee Jack Ciattarelli, have pointed to the case as evidence of dishonesty.
Records leak and campaign clash
Sherrill has said she was cleared in the cheating case and left the Navy with an honorable discharge after a decade of service. Her campaign condemned the leak as politically motivated and demanded an inquiry, linking it to Ciattarelli allies and former Trump administration officials.
Still, she has not released any proof of her innocence in light of the scandal.
Republican groups have broadened the attack, accusing her of backing President Biden’s agenda “100%” and labeling her an “abortion extremism” supporter. Viral posts have mixed these charges with the “Becky” nickname, branding her both personally and politically untrustworthy.