Democrat Analilia Meijia of Glen Ridge has won a landslide victory in the special election to fill New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s former seat in Congress,
Meijia will represent New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District, which covers parts of Essex, Morris, and Passaic counties, until Jan. 3, 2027. She must win the June 2 Democratic primary and the general election in November to hold on to the seat.
According to The Associated Press, Mejia had 69.2 percent of the vote (23,780 votes) to Republican Joe Hathaway’s 30.3 percent (10,429).
Independent Alan Bond garnered 172 votes, or 0.5 percent.
Before polls opened in the unusual Thursday special election between Mejia and Hathaway, 58,456 voters cast ballots, including 36,634 vote-by-mail and 21,822 early voting ballots.
Of those, Democrats made up 61.3% (35,801), Republicans 25.1% (14,679), and unaffiliated voters 13.6% (7,976).
The daughter of Colombian and Dominican immigrants, Mejia is a New Jersey native who began as a union organizer and went on to lead the fights for a $15 minimum wage and paid sick leave as director of the New Jersey Working Families Alliance.
She was the national political director for Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign and served in the Department of Labor under President Joe Biden. Today, she’s Co-Executive Director of Popular Democracy, supporting grassroots organizations across the country.
On her campaign website, she highlighted priorities like canceling student loan debt and ensuring national paid sick days. She also pushed for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), stances that played a key role in shaping her platform during the successful election campaign.
With a warchest of less than half of the Democratic nominee, Hathaway’s campaign hammered Mejia for being too liberal, suggesting that voters do not want universal health care or meaningful peace and security.