When her congressional campaign began more than a year ago, now Rep. Mikie Sherrill took some heat because she lived outside the 11th District, which is where she was running.

Her hometown of Montclair is split between two districts, and she lived a few blocks out of the 11th. She solved that problem by renting a home on the 11th District side of Montclair.

Now, Sherrill says she’s moving back to her original home. Here’s how she put it in a tweet Monday afternoon.

“For over a year, I have worked to permanently move my family across town into the district. I put our house up for sale and signed a one-year lease agreement with every belief it would sell within that
time. Our lease has expired and the owners have now decided to sell. I am temporarily moving my family back into our house, which remains for sale, until we find a residence in the district.”

There is no requirement that congressional representatives live in the district that they represent, and, in truth, where someone lives truly can be a matter of choice, especially if you have more than one home.
Not surprisingly, the Morris County Republican Committee is making a big deal out of this, sending out a statement about Sherrill’s tweet and provocatively asking, “What say you, Morris County?”

The guess here is that aside from those looking at this through a partisan lens, most in the 11th District will say nothing at all, assuming the congresswoman eventually moves into the district as she
says she will.

It’s worth pointing out that Sherrill announced her housing situation in a tweet. That was wise. It’s tough to fault someone for being upfront.