TRENTON, N.J. — Few issues defined Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s campaign more than housing affordability and her desire to expand New Jersey’s affordable housing inventory.
While most Democrats in America are trying to find ways to tax the rich, Sherrill is trying to balance living between her two mansions.
Tax The Rich*
*Unless that person happens to be a wealthy governor who has a mansion. In that case, give her another mansion.
On the campaign trail and since taking office, Sherrill has repeatedly argued that New Jersey’s soaring home prices, escalating rents and high property taxes are pricing middle-class families out of the Garden State. Her administration has made expanding housing production, encouraging higher-density development near transit, and reducing housing costs among its top policy priorities.
Today, however, Sherrill’s own housing situation illustrates just how different the lifestyle of New Jersey’s chief executive is from that of the average resident and she’s not living the same life as the average everyday New Jerseyan she claims to represent.
Sherrill continues to own a large private mansion in Montclair while becoming the first governor in more than two decades to move full-time into Drumthwacket, the state’s historic executive mansion in Princeton.
Combined, the two properties represent millions of dollars in residential real estate at a time when many New Jersey families say purchasing even a modest home has become increasingly difficult. Heck, even finding an apartment is difficult for many these days, but for Mikie Sherrill, balancing life between two mansions represents how out of touch she really is.
How Sherrill’s homes compare with the average New Jersey home
Sherrill’s private residence on South Mountain Avenue in Montclair is estimated by real estate websites to be worth roughly $3.2 million to $3.6 million, although its tax assessment is substantially lower.
The home contains approximately 6,434 square feet of living space, seven bedrooms, up to five bathrooms and sits on more than an acre of land.
By comparison, the typical New Jersey single-family home contains roughly 1,900 to 2,100 square feet with three to four bedrooms. Median home values across New Jersey now exceed $550,000 in many estimates, while statewide median sale prices during 2026 have approached or exceeded $600,000 in several market reports.
Measured against those figures, Sherrill’s Montclair residence is roughly three times the size of the average New Jersey home and carries an estimated market value approximately five to six times higher than the state’s median home price.
Drumthwacket adds another historic estate
Unlike her private mansion, the Drumthwacket mansion is owned by the State of New Jersey.
The 19th-century Princeton mansion serves as the governor’s official residence and is maintained with public funding. Governors do not pay market rent to live there because occupancy is part of the office. They don’t pay electric, gas, landscaping, or other bills either, according to the state.
The estate includes expansive grounds, formal gardens and thousands of square feet of living and entertaining space designed to host diplomatic functions, charitable events and official state business.
Sherrill became the first governor since Jim McGreevey to use Drumthwacket as her family’s full-time residence, ending a stretch of more than two decades during which most governors primarily lived in their private homes.
Housing affordability remains central to Sherrill’s agenda
The governor argues New Jersey’s housing shortage has reached crisis levels.
Her administration has promoted expanding residential construction, accelerating permitting, encouraging transit-oriented development, increasing affordable housing tax incentives and signed the FAIR Act regulating the use of certain rent-setting algorithms by large landlords.
The administration has also emphasized partnerships with municipalities to increase housing production rather than relying solely on statewide mandates.
Supporters argue those initiatives address long-term structural housing shortages and are unrelated to where a governor personally resides.
Critics see political contrast
Critics, however, argue the optics are difficult to ignore.
They point to a governor who frequently speaks about housing affordability while owning an upscale home in one of New Jersey’s wealthiest communities and simultaneously residing in a taxpayer-maintained executive mansion.
For many working families facing mortgage rates above 6 percent, rising rents and record property taxes, critics argue that the governor’s living arrangements highlight the growing divide between elected officials and the residents they represent.
Drumthwacket exists to serve as the governor’s official residence regardless of who occupies the office and note that previous governors also had access to the property, even if they chose not to live there full time. They were content with just one mansion.
A debate likely to continue
Housing remains one of the defining political issues in New Jersey.
Whether voters view Sherrill’s dual residences as a practical consequence of serving as governor or as a symbol of the economic gap between elected officials and ordinary residents will likely remain part of the political conversation as her administration continues advancing its housing agenda.
- Gov. Mikie Sherrill owns a private home in Montclair estimated at roughly $3.2 million to $3.6 million.
- The residence measures approximately 6,434 square feet with seven bedrooms.
- Sherrill recently moved into Drumthwacket, becoming the first governor in more than 20 years to reside there full time.
- Drumthwacket is owned and maintained by the State of New Jersey as the governor’s official residence.
- New Jersey’s median home value is substantially lower than the estimated value of Sherrill’s private residence.
- Housing affordability remains one of the governor’s signature policy initiatives.
FAQ
- Does Gov. Sherrill still own her Montclair home?
- Publicly available property records indicate she continues to own the residence.
- Who owns Drumthwacket?
- Drumthwacket is owned by the State of New Jersey and serves as the governor’s official residence.
- Do governors pay rent to live at Drumthwacket?
- Governors occupy the residence as part of the office rather than through a standard rental arrangement.
- How does Sherrill’s private home compare with the average New Jersey home?
- Based on publicly available estimates, it is significantly larger and considerably more valuable than the state’s median owner-occupied home.
Sources: Office of the Governor, Drumthwacket, NJ REALTORS, New Jersey Housing Opportunities for Municipal Equity and Success (NJ HOMES), FAIR Act
Photo caption: Gov. Mikie Sherrill recently became the first New Jersey governor in more than two decades to make Drumthwacket her full-time residence while retaining ownership of her Montclair home.
