Democrat Analilia Mejia Defeats Republican Joe Hathaway In New Jersey 11th District Special Election

Democrat Analilia Mejia won New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District special election on Thursday, defeating Republican Joe Hathaway, to fill the U.S. House seat vacated by New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill after she resigned from Congress in November.

“This combination of photo shows candidates running for New Jersey's 11th congressional district, Democrat Analilia Mejia on March 24, 2026, in Morristown, N”

2 News Nevada

CNN’s Decision Desk projected Mejia would win the special election in New Jersey’s 11th District, “allowing Democrats to further narrow Republicans’ razor-thin majority in the US House.”

2 News Nevada

The Associated Press called the race shortly after polls closed, and multiple outlets tied the result to the narrowness of the House math: The 19th reported that with Mejia’s addition “Democrats will have 214 representatives, while Republicans have 217, and one independent caucuses with the GOP.”

USA Today said Mejia will serve the remaining term for “the next eight months,” while New Jersey Monitor reported she will fill the seat “until Jan. 3, 2027.”

The Bergen Record described the election as “high-stakes” and said voters in three New Jersey counties would cast ballots Thursday, April 16, for the temporarily vacant District 11 seat.

The district spans parts of Essex County, Morris County, and Passaic County, and Bergen Record directed voters to the “New Jersey Polling Place Search tool on the official New Jersey Division of Elections website.”

Polling places were open “6 a.m. to 8 p.m.” on Election Day, according to Bergen Record, and early voting ended on April 14.

NBC News framed the contest as a fight for “the remainder of New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill's unfinished term in the House,” with projections based on vote data via the Associated Press.

The special election was triggered by Mikie Sherrill’s resignation from Congress after she won the governorship in November, leaving the U.S. House seat vacant and requiring a special election rather than appointment under New Jersey law.

Bergen Record explained that “a vacancy in the U.S. House must be filled through special election rather than appointment,” which is why voters in New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District went to the polls on Thursday, April 16.

ABC7 New York

The seat became vacant when Sherrill “resigned from Congress in November after winning the race for governor,” according to Bergen Record, and NBC News described the contest as filling “the remainder of New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill's unfinished term.”

The election followed a February Democratic primary that featured a crowded field and outside spending, with CNN noting that after Mejia won a crowded primary in February she was “heavily favored” in a district with about “65,000 more registered Democrats than Republicans.”

CNN also described how former Rep. Tom Malinowski lost after “a barrage of spending from a group linked to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee,” and it quoted a Democratic strategist, Julie Roginsky, saying, “If AIPAC had never gotten involved, Tom Malinowski would be going to Congress right now.”

Politico framed the special election as another test of Trump’s popularity ahead of midterms, quoting pollster Patrick Murray: “Trump is just making it extremely difficult for Republicans to do well anywhere.”

MS NOW said the race exposed “ideological divisions within the party” and became “a test for Republican efforts to compete in a district that has trended blue in recent years.”

WHYY reported that the district includes portions of Essex, Morris and Passaic counties and said there are “more than 600,000 registered voters in 11th Congressional District,” with “Approximately 225,000” registered Democrats, “164,000” Republicans, and “205,000” unaffiliated.

Mejia’s victory was presented by supporters and allied progressives as a win for the party’s left flank, while Republicans portrayed her as too far left and too extreme on Israel and Gaza.

“Is there a special election in New Jersey today”

Bergen Record

MS NOW described Mejia as a “progressive organizer” and said she defeated Republican Randolph Township Mayor Joe Hathaway, with Alan Bond also running as an independent.

After the win, Mejia told a crowd at the Montclair Art Museum, “In November when I jumped into this race the odds were stacked against us. But you know — we did the impossible, and we won,” according to New Jersey Monitor.

The 19th quoted Mejia saying, “It is not radical to say that a worker who toils every day cannot make ends meet, that they deserve justice, that they deserve higher wages,” and it also reported that she attacked billionaires for having a “stranglehold” on the economy.

Politico included a statement from Mejia that tied the election to Trump and economic anger: “Trump and Republicans are spending $1 billion a day on an illegal war, rigging the rules to enrich their billionaire friends, and cutting healthcare and critical programs that working families rely on.”

Republicans criticized Mejia throughout the campaign, and Politico quoted Hathaway’s statement accusing her of “radical socialist and antisemitic ideology.”

Gothamist reported that Hathaway spokesperson Kean Maclelland said Hathaway called Mejia to concede and left a voicemail when she did not answer, while Hathaway also criticized the election’s structure in a written statement.

That statement said, “This was a unique and, frankly, unusual election,” and it added that “the structure and timing, set by a partisan Democratic governor, produced exactly the kind of low-turnout environment that benefits one party.”

The same election result was framed differently across outlets, with some emphasizing House arithmetic and others emphasizing Trump backlash, progressive momentum, or the mechanics of voting.

CNN foregrounded the congressional balance, projecting that Mejia’s win would “further narrowing Republicans’ razor-thin majority in the US House,” and it laid out a partisan breakdown: “217 Republicans, 214 Democrats, one independent and three seats vacant.”

CNN

The 19th similarly emphasized the House numbers, stating that “Democrats will have 214 representatives, while Republicans have 217, and one independent caucuses with the GOP,” and it connected the shift to resignations of Tony Gonzales and Eric Swalwell.

Politico, by contrast, framed the special election as a referendum on Trump, quoting Patrick Murray that “Trump is just making it extremely difficult for Republicans to do well anywhere,” and it described the contest as “another test of Trump’s popularity ahead of midterms.”

MS NOW emphasized the progressive wing’s internal party test, saying Mejia’s win was “a notable victory for the party’s left flank” and that the race “has become a test for Republican efforts to compete in a district that has trended blue in recent years.”

WHYY framed the race as a bellwether for November, saying “The 11th District race was considered a bellwether for the upcoming November midterm elections” and describing it as a gauge of “national trends.”

Gothamist focused on early vote dynamics and turnout, reporting that “According to the New Jersey Division of Elections, 21,000 more Democrats cast early ballots by mail or in-person than Republicans,” and it added that “as of 6 pm, Democrats had increased that advantage by roughly 1,500 more votes.”

USA Today emphasized the timeline and next steps, saying Mejia will remain in the seat for “the next eight months” and that she must win the Democratic midterm primary in June to run again in November 2026.

The sources consistently described the special election as a short-term seat that sets up a rematch in November 2026, with June primaries looming for both parties.

“Republicans fell far short in their bid to flip a vacant U”

Fox News

USA Today said Mejia will need to win the Democratic midterm primary in June to run for a full two-year term in November 2026, and it described the special election as “for the remainder of the current term, previously held by Mikie Sherrill before she became governor.”

Fox News

Bergen Record stated that “Voting day for New Jersey's 11th Congressional District seat is Thursday, April 16, 2026,” and it also said early voting ended on April 14, while polls were open “6 a.m. to 8 p.m.” on Election Day.

New Jersey Monitor said Mejia will fill the seat “until Jan. 3, 2027,” and it quoted Mejia telling supporters, “Don’t forget, in eight weeks we got to do it again,” pointing to the next phase of campaigning.

The 19th reported that “Both Mejia and Hathaway will be back on the ballot in June, running in their party primaries for next cycle’s two-year term,” and it tied the House shift to resignations of Tony Gonzales and Eric Swalwell.

WHYY said Mejia will now serve out the remainder of the term, which “ends in January,” and it reported that Hathaway is expected to also run again in the fall.

Politico noted that Hathaway and Mejia are both running in their party’s June primaries for a full two-year term that would start in January, and it described the House implications for Speaker Mike Johnson’s margin.

CNN similarly said Mejia’s win would shrink Johnson’s majority and that when Mejia is sworn in, Johnson would only be able to afford “a single GOP defection on party-line votes and still pass legislation.”