Analilia Mejia sworn in to the United States House of Representatives

Congresswoman Analilia Mejia was sworn in as a Member of the United States House of Representatives by House Speaker Mike Johnson after she won a landslide victory in a special election last week to succeed New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill in the House.

The move narrows the Republican Party’s majority to 217-214-1, meaning the GOP can afford no more than one defection on a party-line vote.

GOP leaders express confidence that they will gain a little more breathing room later this week.

Tylease Alli, a reading clerk of the House, read the results of the special election on the floor of the lower chamber — prompting a standing ovation for Mejia.

Rep. Chris Smith, the dean of New Jersey’s congressional delegation, then asked Speaker Mike Johnson to swear Mejia in.

Once Johnson did so, Mejia received another ovation from her colleagues, with many chanting, “Si, se puede” — or “yes, you can” in Spanish — before Johnson called the chamber to order.

In remarks on the House floor, Mejia said it was a “privilege and an honor” to join the House and thanked her colleagues for their “warm welcome” and her constituents.

“My presence in this chamber is in many ways an unlikely reality,” Mejia said. “I am the daughter of a Dominican factory worker and a Colombian seamstress who knew struggle. And yet, I stand before you, representing the great 11th Congressional District of New Jersey.”

Now that Mejia is officially in the House, Republicans hold a slim 217-214 majority over Democrats. Independent Rep. Kevin Kiley (Calif.) caucuses with the GOP.

That means Johnson can only afford to lose one vote, as his caucus debates whether to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and how to fund the Department of Homeland Security.

Mejia, the daughter of an undocumented Colombian mother and a father from the Dominican Republic, grew up in Elizabeth.

After graduating from Rutgers, she started as a union organizer before becoming an advocate for family and women’s rights. She later worked as a top aide to Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign and served in the Biden administration.

Mejia crushed Republican Joe Hathaway by a margin of two to one in the special election.

Sherrill, who took office in January, resigned from her seat in November to prepare for her first term as governor.

Three vacancies remain in the House: the seats formerly held by former Reps. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) and Tony Gonzales (R-Texas), who resigned last week after they were accused of sexual misconduct, and the seat held by the late Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.), who died in January after suffering a medical emergency.

Mejia, meanwhile, will head back to the campaign trail ahead of the June 2 primary to secure the Democratic nomination to serve a full term.

Former Morristown Mayor Donald Cresitello, tech engineer Joseph B. Lewis II, and Chatham Councilman Justin Strickland are challenging her for the Democratic nomination to run against Hathaway in November.