Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mikie Sherrill is facing new blowback after court documents revealed her husband, Jason Hedberg, was among dozens of midshipmen caught up in the U.S. Naval Academy cheating scandal that has recently reemerged, the NY Post revealed.
Hedberg, along with roughly four dozen classmates, sued the Naval Academy, the Navy and the Pentagon in 1994 to block an Honor Board from deciding whether they should be dismissed. The complaint argued the students had been forced by superior officers to make “inculpatory statements” to investigators and were denied due process.
The specifics of Hedberg’s involvement remain unclear, but his name appeared in the 1994 commencement program — an indication he was ultimately cleared to graduate. Sherrill, by contrast, has said she was barred from walking at graduation for refusing to turn in classmates. A NY Post source disputed that account, insisting midshipmen were punished only for lying to investigators.
The scandal centered on a December 1992 electrical engineering exam that was allegedly shared widely in advance, with some estimates suggesting up to 80 percent of the class had seen it. Ultimately, 88 students were disciplined, with two dozen expelled and others receiving lesser penalties.
The revelations about Hedberg come as Sherrill faces a tightening race against Republican Jack Ciattarelli. A recent Emerson College/PIX11/The Hill poll showed the two deadlocked with less than six weeks until Election Day. No Republican has won the New Jersey governor’s race since Chris Christie in 2013.
Sherrill’s campaign has pushed back aggressively, accusing opponents of weaponizing family history and illegally circulating her military records. “Jason graduated and served honorably as a Naval officer,” communications director Sean Higgins said. “The illegal disclosure of Mikie’s unredacted personal military records, including her Social Security Number, and the unlawful dissemination of those records by the Ciattarelli campaign is a disgrace and must be investigated.”
After the academy, Hedberg became a Navy intelligence officer and Sherrill a Navy helicopter pilot. The couple married, raised four children, and entered public life together. But as the governor’s race narrows, questions about what happened three decades ago at Annapolis have become another flashpoint in one of the most competitive contests of 2025.