Election 2026 Suburbs

Analilia Mejia, the Democratic candidate running for New Jersey's 11th congressional district, talks to people at coffee shop in Morristown, N.J., Tuesday, March 24, 2026.

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Progressive Analilia Mejía takes New Jersey US House special election, giving Democrats another win

Progressive Analilia Mejía takes New Jersey US House special election, giving Democrats another win

New Jersey Democrat Analilia Mejía has won a special election to fill the U.S. House seat that was vacated by Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill after she was voted into that office. Mejía defeated Republican Joe Hathaway. Mejía is a former head of the Working Families Alliance and was backed by Vermont U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders. She emerged from a crowded primary in February and cast the race as a test of President Donald Trump’s leadership. She criticized his pardons of people convicted of Jan. 6-related crimes and faulted him for freezing funds authorized by Congress. Hathaway cast Mejía as too far left to represent the suburban district.