Progressive organizer Analilia Mejia will succeed Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill in New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District, adding to a run of party victories that suggest voter dissatisfaction with President Donald Trump ahead of the midterms.
Mejia defeated Republican Randolph Township Councilmember Joe Hathaway in Thursday’s special election, according to the Associated Press.
She entered as the favorite for the affluent, blue-leaning North Jersey seat after an unexpected victory in February’s Democratic primary — a race that featured nearly a dozen candidates, including many who spent more and had higher name ID than Mejia.
In the primary, hefty outside spending from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee against former Rep. Tom Malinowski in part helped propel Mejia to a win. But outside groups on both sides of the aisle largely stayed out of the special general election — money that could have otherwise made the race more competitive.
Republicans — who are looking to rebuild after brutal losses in the state last year — tried to make the argument that Mejia was too far to the left of the district. Sherrill, a moderate Democrat, first flipped the seat in 2018 and won reelection handily in the years after that; former Vice President Kamala Harris won by around 9 points in 2024. Like in other races across the country, the GOP was eager to refer to Mejia as a “socialist” — a label she did not identify with — and compare her to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
But that message didn’t land among the electorate, where Democrats outnumber Republicans by more than 60,000. Mejia also garnered support from Democrats across the ideological spectrum in her general election campaign.
Still, Republicans were betting that Hathaway, who positioned himself as a moderate Republican that was willing to push back against President Donald Trump, would benefit from his local ties serving as mayor and on the Randolph Township Council. Polls closed at 8 p.m. and the Associated Press called the race for Mejia at 8:07 p.m. With nearly 30 percent of votes counted, Mejia led Hathaway by more than 35 points.
Mejia has had a long career in progressive politics and organizing. That includes serving as co-executive director of the Center for Popular Democracy, a nationwide alliance of progressive groups, since 2022; Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-Vt.) national political director during his 2020 presidential bid; and executive director of the New Jersey Working Families Party from 2014 through 2019.
Her messaging focused on affordability and immigration, as well as abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement. She framed her campaign in the general election as defeating “MAGA extremists,” and in her platform has touted national paid sick days, Medicare for All and taking on big corporations.
Mejia will be the first Latina to represent NJ-11 in Congress, and the second to be elected to the New Jersey congressional delegation.
Mejia will have to run again in the June primary to compete for the full term beginning in 2027. A handful of primary challengers have emerged against her, and Hathaway has indicated that he will make another attempt for the full term.
While it will be harder to defeat an incumbent, AIPAC’s super PAC left the door open to future spending in the race, with a spokesperson saying after the February primary election that its “focus remains on who will serve the next full term in Congress.” Mejia has been critical of Israel, including saying that Israel committed a genocide in Gaza — an issue that Hathaway sought to hit her on during the campaign.
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