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FAA meltdown strands NJ Gov. Sherrill at Dem conference in Denver
By
Ryan Kost
and
Michael Sol Warren
Published Nov 14, 2026 at 8:27 a.m. ET
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Tim Larsen / Office of the New Jersey Governor
By
Ryan Kost
and
Michael Sol Warren
Published Nov 14, 2026 at 8:27 a.m. ET
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New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill is among the thousands of travelers stranded after an air traffic control breakdown that grounded all flights nationwide for more than five hours Friday.
Sherrill left New Jersey late Thursday and was expected to return Friday evening, a spokesperson said. She’s now expected back sometime Saturday morning.
The governor was among a number of prominent Democrats who went to Denver to attend the “What’s Next” conference, a meeting about the future of the party. U.S. Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, who ran for president in 2020 and is seen as a possible 2028 contender, was also at the conference.
The Federal Aviation Administration stopped all flights Friday afternoon, citing a “temporary telecommunications outage.” It lifted the nationwide ground stop at 8:15 p.m., but not before the stoppage had resulted in more than 7,500 canceled flights and more than 25,000 delays, according to FlightAware.
The region’s airports, including Newark Liberty, will likely see longer delays than the rest of the country as flights resume. Dartmouth engineering professor Vikrant Vaze told Gothamist that’s because the area has heavy demand, limited runways and crowded airspace.
More than a thousand flights at Newark, JFK and Laguardia were canceled as of Saturday morning and passengers were still facing long delays, according to FlightAware, a national flight tracking site.
Lt. Gov. Shirley Emehelu, who was only just appointed on Monday, has been serving as acting governor while Sherrill is away. Emehelu replaced Dale Caldwell, who resigned in September, after an investigation substantiated a sexual harassment complaint against him and other allegations surfaced that he had made women on his staff uncomfortable.
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Ryan Kost
Ryan Kost is a reporter on the day-of news desk, where he covers breaking news and writes enterprise stories about jails, courts, prosecutors and government accountability. His work focuses on the public institutions that shape life in New York. Before joining the newsroom, he lead a multi-part investigation with Columbia Journalism Investigations and New York Focus into how New York prosecutors handle wrongful conviction claims. He's also been a staff writer at The San Francisco Chronicle, The Associated Press and The Oregonian. Got a tip? Signal: ryankost.20
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Michael Sol Warren
Michael Sol Warren covers New Jersey for WNYC and Gothamist, and previously reported on issues around the Garden State for NJ Spotlight News and NJ Advance Media. He can be reached at [email protected].
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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