Jen Davenport, Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill’s pick to be attorney general, speaks alongside Sherrill during a press conference at Rutgers University-Newark on Dec. 15, 2025. (Photo by Anne-Marie Caruso/New Jersey Monitor)
Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill has chosen an ex-prosecutor, former assistant attorney general, and top lawyer for PSE&G to be the state’s next attorney general.
Jen Davenport is the second person Sherrill has chosen to lead her cabinet when she becomes governor on Jan. 20. The first, Lt. Gov.-elect Dale Caldwell, will be secretary of state.
Sherrill, speaking to reporters in Newark alongside Davenport and Caldwell, said Davenport has the respect and trust of law enforcement and of the communities they serve. During her campaign for governor, Sherrill told police officers she would appoint an attorney general “who works well with law enforcement.”
“I know she will stop at nothing to ensure justice is served to everyone,” Sherrill said Monday.
Davenport said as attorney general, she plans to address gun violence and human trafficking, ensure affordability, and defend the state from “attacks out of Washington.”
“One of the greatest threats to affordability is coming from Washington, which is issuing policies that raise the costs on everything from housing to health insurance to household goods. So when the folks in Washington issue policies that drive up costs or otherwise harm our residents or violate the Constitution, I will be there alongside the governor-elect protecting you,” Davenport said.
Davenport would replace the current attorney general, Matt Platkin, who praised Sherrill’s choice.
“Jen is, without question, one of the finest public servants I have ever known, and will do an extraordinary job as our State’s chief law enforcement officer,” Platkin said in a statement.
Davenport’s nomination must be approved by the Senate’s judiciary committee and then the full Senate. Sens. Vin Gopal (D-Monmouth) and Declan O’Scanlon (R-Monmouth) said in a joint statement that they support her selection and will work with their colleagues in the Senate to confirm her. Because the two men represent Davenport’s home county, their support is critical to her nomination moving forward.
Davenport served as first assistant attorney general for four years in the state Attorney General’s Office during Gov. Phil Murphy’s first term. After leaving that office, she joined PSE&G as a director and now serves as deputy counsel and chief litigation counsel. She also worked at the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and as an assistant U.S. attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey for seven years.
A Monmouth County resident and mother of two children, Davenport graduated from DeSales University and Seton Hall University School of Law.
GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.
