The special election to fill Democrat New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s old House seat will take place Thursday and is all but assured to result in the election of the newest member of the Squad.
Democrats have nominated Analilia Mejia, a social justice activist and former political staffer for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) 2020 presidential campaign. Mejia is a progressive stalwart who has called for a $25 minimum wage, the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and was quick to criticize Israel for targeting Hamas after the October 7th massacre.
Mejia is endorsed by Sanders, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, and Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Greg Casar (D-TX), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), and Maxwell Frost (D-FL), among others.
Republicans, meanwhile, have nominated Randolph Township Mayor Joe Hathaway. The GOP candidate is running as a centrist and highlighting his avowedly pro-Israel stances. Hathaway said his first priority in Congress would be to join the Problem Solvers Caucus, a group of lawmakers focused on finding bipartisan solutions.
The contest heavily favors Mejia even though polling has been sparse. Mejia’s internal polling shows her with a 17-point lead over Hathaway.
“Let’s be honest: this race isn’t competitive for Republicans,” Republican strategist Dennis Lennox told the Washington Examiner. “It’s not evidence of some national Democratic wave, which we have seen elsewhere in special and off-year elections. It’s evidence that Democrats are doubling down on socialism.”
Former Vice President Kamala Harris won the seat by 8 percentage points over President Donald Trump in 2024. Sherrill, then the incumbent, carried it by 15 percentage points in her successful run for governor last year. Sherrill resigned the seat in November to focus on her gubernatorial transition.
Mejia narrowly won an 11-way Democratic primary on Feb. 5, beating out former Rep. Tom Malinowski. Going into the primary, Malinowski was heavily favored but came under criticism from pro-Israel groups.
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The American Israeli Public Affairs Committee spent more than $2.3 million on negative ads targeting Malinowski and boosting former New Jersey Lt. Gov. Taesha Way.
The spending effort may have inadvertently boosted Mejia, who won the primary with 29.3% to Malinowski 27.6%. Way finished firmly in third place with 17.4%.