Progressive activist Analilia Mejia soundly defeated Republican Joe Hathaway in a special election Thursday in the 11th Congressional District, delivering a victory for Democrats in the runup to this fall’s midterm elections.
“In November, when I jumped into this race, the odds were stacked against us. But you know — we did the impossible, and we won,” Mejia said in a crowded hall at the Montclair Art Museum Thursday evening.
Mejia will fill the seat, vacated by Gov. Mikie Sherrill after Sherrill won the governorship in November, until Jan. 3, 2027.
The Associated Press called the race just seven minutes after polls closed, prompting a raucous crowd of Mejia supporters to cheer and dance. Several attendees wore blue shirts that read “Defend our democracy.”
With most of the votes in, Mejia leads Hathaway 60% to 40%, with more than 130,000 votes cast.
Mejia, the former head of the state’s Working Families Party and the national political director for Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential run, campaigned on attacking President Donald Trump’s mass detention and deportation agenda, characterizing Israel’s attacks in Gaza as a genocide, and advocating for policies like universal health care and raising the minimum wage.
She defeated 10 other Democrats in February’s special primary, including former Rep. Tom Malinowski, a result that stunned many political observers.
She will be the first Latina to represent the 11th District in Congress, and only the second Latina to represent New Jersey in D.C.
Hathaway, a Randolph councilman, held a private gathering with his family and close friends on Thursday. In a statement, he congratulated Mejia but noted that she won two elections “decided by a small share of the overall electorate.”
“I still believe the broader electorate in NJ-11 is looking for balanced, pragmatic leadership, not the kind of far-left policies embraced by Ms. Mejia. That conversation is not over,” he said. “I’ve said from the beginning that we’re running through the tape, and I mean it. I’m looking forward to the rematch in November, when more voices will be heard and the full electorate will have its say.”
Both Mejia and Hathaway are vying again to win election to the 11th District in November, for the two-year term that begins in January.
Hathaway spent weeks on the campaign trail attacking Mejia as a dangerous socialist and antisemite for her comments on Israel and Gaza. He positioned himself as a moderate Republican, attempting to distance himself from Trump’s policies and vowing he wouldn’t be a rubber stamp for Republican policies.
Independent Alan Bond was also on the ballot and came in a distant third.
The 11th District, which includes parts of Essex, Morris, and Passaic counties, was formerly a Republican stronghold until Sherrill flipped it for Democrats in 2018. Its boundaries have since been redrawn in a way that makes it more difficult for Republicans to win.
On Thursday, Mejia thanked her “former rivals turned amazing supporters.” Malinowski appeared at a campaign event for her last week.
“No one makes it alone. No one. I am only here because of all of you,” she said.
Mejia’s win represents a big loss for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which had spent millions in the February primary trying to defeat Malinowski because he said he would not unconditionally support providing foreign military aid to Israel, a campaign that inadvertently boosted Mejia.
She won the endorsements of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. Sherrill and Sen. Andy Kim also campaigned for her in the final days of the race.
Attendees at her victory party included state Democratic Party chairman Leroy Jones and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka.
“This moment is a good feeling tonight, but the work begins tomorrow. She is now the incumbent congressperson of the 11th Congressiona District, and we will continue to march with her,” Jones said.
Several speakers at the victory party spoke in both Spanish and English. Chants of “Si, se puede” — “yes, we can” — broke out several times.
Mejia also spoke in Spanish, saying she wanted to speak so her mother could understand her.
“She helped me and my sister see that we could, in fact, have a rightful place not only in this country, not only in this state, but amongst community. That we could be different, but in fact, we share so much,” she said.
Mejia is being challenged by three Democrats in June’s regular primary, while Hathaway is running unchallenged on the GOP side.
“Don’t forget, in eight weeks we got to do it again,” Mejia said Thursday.
New Jersey Monitor, where this article was originally published, is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. New Jersey Monitor maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Terrence T. McDonald for questions: info@newjerseymonitor.com.
